Teaching children good eating habits is an important
part of family life.
A good way to get youngsters eating a healthy diet is to try to
new recipes.
There are some great books, available from
your local library,
dedicated to getting children to eat good food. Children love to
cook too, so you could try new recipes together.
As they grow children’s diet needs change. For example, in North
Somerset it is recommended that children are exclusively breast fed
for the first six months, with weaning not starting before they are
17 weeks old. Drinking from a cup should be introduced when they
are six months old, with breast or formula feeding continuing as
well until they are a year old. If you do use formula be careful
not to overfeed or underfeed your baby.
Babies under two should be given full fat milk. You can switch
to semi-skimmed as they get older, but full skimmed milk should be
avoided until they are more than five years old.
Toddlers are very active and need plenty of calories and
nutrients. Full fat milk, meat and eggs are good for them, but make
sure everything is cooked through properly. Remember to also
include lots of fresh fruit and vegetables in their diet too.
Although toddlers can eat the same food as adults they cannot
eat as much in one sitting. Until they can, try giving them healthy
snacks throughout the day to make sure they are getting a balanced
diet.
From about five years old children should be able to eat the
same meals as their parents. These should include starchy food and
plenty of fruit and vegetables. Make sure you avoid too much
saturated fat, which can be found in butter, cheese, fatty meat,
biscuits, cakes and pastries.
For all children you should encourage them to eat
their 5 a
day – five portions of fruits or vegetables each day.
You should also avoid too much salt and encourage them to drink
plenty of water rather than sugar rich and fizzy drinks.
For more information about healthy
and active
living contact our Go4Life team.
For more information about diet advice, including ideas for a
healthy lunchbox, visit these websites:
- 5 a
day - by the NHS
- CBHF - fun, interactive
site with cool recipes and games to help you keep your heart
healthy. By the British Heart Foundation.
- Eatwell - by the Food
Standards Agency (FSA)
- Healthy Start- supported
by the
NHS
- Join the
Activaters - fun website with games and info for kids on
how to get active and eat healthy food. By the Food and Drink
Federation.
