Eating as a family

Children who eat with their families have healthier diets.

Eating as a family is also a great way to spend some quality time together. Here's how to get the most out of family meals:

Keep it simple - make one meal for the whole family.

Involve the children - After they are old enough, involve the children in picking food, preparing and cooking food, setting the table, and cleaning up. This makes them feel like they are in control.

Turn off the TV - Make meal times a screen-free zone. Use the time to talk about your day and the food you're eating.

Be flexible - family life is busy. From work to after-school pickup and sports and activities, meal times need to be flexible. Plan to eat at a time when most of the family can be there.

Be a role model - serve healthy food and watch children eat healthy food.

Eating more fruit and veg

Why are fruits and vegetables so important?

Not only are they colorful and add flavor and texture to our diet, but fruits and vegetables are also packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber that help keep us healthy.

Children over the age of five need five portions per day. Young children can eat fruits and vegetables often but in small amounts. If you or your kids don't eat a lot of fruits or vegetables at the moment, it's okay to start slowly and increase from one portion this week to two the next week and so on. Adding some fruits and vegetables to every meal, as well as a snack, helps them reach that 5-day goal.

What counts in your 5 days?

Fresh, frozen, tinned, and dried all count. A small glass (150 ml) of fruit juice or smoothie per day counts as one (and no more) of your 5 a day. Potatoes count as a starchy food and not your 5-a-day.

How much is a portion?

Fruits and vegetables are all different shapes and sizes so it can be known what a portion is. Everything you need to know here.

Eat five or more a day.

Breakfast

Sprinkle cereal with chopped fruit.

Enjoy a small (150ml) glass of unsweetened fruit juice (remember only one in 5 a day counts).

Top wholemeal toast with a banana

Lunch

Add crunch to sandwiches by adding vegetables.

Finish lunch with a piece of fruit.

A salad is a good alternative to a sandwich for lunch.

Homemade vegetable soup makes a hearty meal.

Dinner

Add extra vegetables to stews, chutneys, stir-fries, casseroles, omelets, and curries—fresh, frozen, dried, and canned all count.

Try adding fruit to yogurt for sweetness.

Serve two or three different vegetables with dinner.

Salty

Fruits and vegetables make a great breakfast.

Vegetable sticks and a nutritious dip are delicious - choose hummus or cream cheese.

A note on juices and smoothies

Fruit juices and smoothies are very popular. A small glass (150ml) can count towards your 5 a day. If you have more than one glass each day, it still only counts as one serving of fruits and vegetables a day. This is because when fruits or vegetables are juiced or pureed, they do not contain the same nutrients as whole fruits or vegetables. Sugar is also released from whole fruits or vegetables when they are mashed/pureed.

A few tips when choosing juices and smoothies

Drink no more than one small glass (150 ml) of fruit juice or smoothie each day.

Choose 100% pure unsweetened fruit juice, meaning no added sugar

Fruit juices are acidic and can be harmful to teeth, so it is best to drink them only with food or through a straw.

It is best to dilute the juice - one part juice to ten parts water - when giving to children.

Beware of 'juice drinks’; they can contain very little juice and quite a lot of sugar.

Choose smoothies made with fresh, frozen, or canned (in its juice) fruit.

Look for smoothies without sugar, honey, or syrup.

Children's portion sizes

As parents, we all want to make sure children are getting the right amount of nutritious food to help them grow, learn, and play.

Children's appetite varies from day to day. They depend on the age of the child, whether they are going through a growth spurt, and how physically active they are. The best thing to remember is that small tummies need small servings of nutritious food to develop healthy habits that last a lifetime.

In the videos below, nutritionist Sarah Keogh explains how much you should be feeding adults and children of different ages for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.

1. Start the day with a good breakfast.

Children must eat breakfast in the morning. Wheat-flaked cereals are good choices with milk and a of fruit. In the video, Sarah shows us what to give to kids 1-2, 3-4, and older.

2. Lunch can increase your child's nutrient intake.

Lunchtime is an opportunity to get those important nutrients that fuel your child for the rest of the day. Eating the right amount of healthy food will give them energy and help them focus throughout the afternoon. Watch the video for examples of how much lunch to serve your kids.

 Healthy habits at the dinner table

Our evening meal is a great time for the family to sit down and enjoy a meal together, and you’ll feel better knowing everyone is eating the right amount of food for them. Family mealtimes also allow you to lead the way, when your child sees you eating lots of different foods; they are more likely to do the same.

4. Snacks are important.

Snacks are a very important part of the diet for young growing children and most children need two to three healthy snacks per day. Small snacks can provide the energy they need to keep going between meals. On the other hand, if you have a picky eater, one of the reasons may be that they are eating too many snacks, or they have too many snacks. Avoid relying on ready-made or processed bars and snacks as they can be high in sugar. It is best to choose unprocessed snacks. In this video, Sarah shares many healthy breakfast ideas for kids of different ages.

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Start with your plate.

If you're confused about portion sizes, a good place to start is the size of your plate. An adult's plate should be about the size of your outstretched hand, and a child's plate should be half that size. And toddlers find it easier to feed themselves if they use child-sized cutlery.