Getting kids to eat is quite the mammoth task, but ensuring they get a well-balanced, healthy, nutritional meal is almost impossible.
From fussy eaters who will only eat beige things, to kids who close their mouths tightly and scream blue murder when you put a stem of broccoli on their plates, meal times can be challenging.
But get a healthy balance – rather than the pasta pesto staple for lunch and dinner – is important to their development and helps to support their immune system.
A senior nutritionist from Marks & Spencer, Laura Street, has some valuable tips to help parents get their kids eating right.
1. Whatever age your child is, role-modelling has a big impact on eating habits. While many of us are at home, we have a unique chance to sit and eat together for at least one meal a day, so use the opportunity to display the kind of eating behaviours you’d like to see in your child. Whether it’s leaving devices elsewhere while we eat, or finishing all our vegetables, it’s interesting to see how once we start doing things ourselves, our children soon copy.
2. Get kids involved in the cooking – if they help prepare meals, they’ll take pride in the food, and will be more likely to tuck in.
3. Try making fruit and vegetables the topic of your dinnertime conversation. Discuss which you’ve eaten that day, and how you plan to fit in your five-a-day tomorrow.
4. Children are always learning about the environment and food waste – strike up a conversation to see what knowledge your child has, and if they have any creative recipe ideas to use up leftovers.
5. Get creative! Presentation has a big impact, so make food as appealing and varied as you can – kids will enjoy helping, too.
And if you’re struggling to think beyond beans on toast or spaghetti hoops, Street has a handful of recipes that look as good as they taste.
1. Pineapple emojis: top pineapple slices with strawberry eyes and mouths to create a range of expressions.
2. Nectarine and blueberry crabs: use half a pitted nectarine, flesh-side down, for the body then nectarine slices to make the legs and pincers. Finish with two blueberry eyes.
3. Apple and grape cars: arrange halved grapes on to slices of apple to look like wheels.
4. Red pepper dip: blitz roasted red peppers with cream cheese to create a pretty-in-pink dip. Serve in cups with red pepper slices for dunking.
5. Peanut butter with apple dippers: as an alternative to toast or breadsticks, dip apple slices into peanut butter.
6. Fruity water: create a low-sugar alternative to juice or soda by adding fresh fruit slices to glasses of sparkling water.
Good luck mums and dads!
