Nutrition and providing healthy food options
Dr Megan Hammersley shares her tips around making healthy food choices, how to expose your child to more vegetables in their daily meals, and how to get children involved in their own food decisions and excited about healthy food.
Here are some key messages from the Expert Insights talk for you!
Most children aren’t eating enough vegetables in their daily meals and snacks and, as they grow, the recommended daily serving of vegetables increases significantly. Provide vegetables at every meal and create opportunities to try new and unfamiliar vegetables throughout the week. Think about swapping a fruit snack for a vegetable option or providing small amounts of both rather than all fruit as an easy way to increase veggie intake.
When shopping, consider the quality of the food you are choosing. Avoiding pre-prepared and processed foods is best whenever possible. Fresh food is always a great option filled with healthy nutrients, vitamins and minerals. A general rule of thumb is the more packaging, the less healthy a food item will be, so stick to whole foods when you can.
There is no ‘best’ way to eat a vegetable – however your child will eat it, is great! Try cooking the same veg in different ways to see what your child prefers. Children often need to be exposed to a new type of food 15 or even 20 times before trying to eat it, so frequent exposure (with no pressure to eat it) is a great way to help them get familiar with the smell, texture and tastes of new food.
Taking some time on the weekends to plan vegetable-filled meals together is a fun way to get children involved in their food decisions. Let them choose a meal from a list of options, get them involved in age-appropriate food preparation, and maybe even try growing your own veg as a way to build excitement around eating healthy foods.
Dietary needs, allergies, and food avoidance can be stressful for the carer and the child. Make modifications to meals when necessary, provide options when you can, and try to make mealtime a relaxed family opportunity. If a child isn’t keen on trying a food, taking the focus off the food can be helpful and having conversations about their day or something else they are interested in can relieve pressure for everyone.
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