Healthy Families

The Eatwell Plate

Once your child starts school they will become far more active and their energy requirements and need for a healthy, balanced diet are high.

Children of school-age need a lot more energy and nutrients for their body size than adults and therefore they need smaller, nutrient-dense meals more often than adults do.

This is so that they don’t have to try and fit all their nutrient needs into just three meals. Healthy snacks play an important part in the diets of children. A healthy and varied diet incorporating all the major food groups found in the eatwell plate should provide all the nutrients your growing child needs.

The eatwell plate is basically a healthy well-balanced eating plan that’s suitable for the whole family and easy-to-follow!

Here at PhunkyFoods we truly believe that all children should be able to enjoy their food and by being creative, and just a little adventurous, we know you can have fun with food, enjoy guilt-free eating and be healthy too!

Pictured below is the eatwell plate. The model depicts the types and amounts of foods that should be included in our daily meals to make up a healthy balanced diet and to ensure that we are getting all the right nutrients in the right amounts.

Based on this model foods in the largest sections should be eaten most often and foods from the smallest sections should be eaten least often. We don’t necessarily have to eat this balance of foods at every meal but over the course of a day or a week, this is the balance of foods we should be aiming for.

The eatwell plate shows us that all foods can be part of a healthy diet but that it is important to achieve the right balance and a variety of foods for good health.

You can download a copy of the eatwell plate here why not stick it on the fridge to remind you and your child what a balanced diet looks like?

Key Nutrients for Kids

The diet of school children needs to provide enough energy for growth and development, and key nutrients include iron, calcium and a range of vitamins and minerals.

Iron

Many breakfast cereals are fortified with iron – make sure your child starts the day with a big bowlful!

Giving your child a small glass of fresh orange juice with their cereal in the morning will ensure they absorb more of the iron from their cereal

Stay away from tea and coffee as these will reduce the iron absorption of a meal

Maximise iron intakes by ensuring your child is offered their two portions of meat or fish per day. Good sources include canned sardines, pilchards, mackerel, tuna, lean beef, lamb, pork, chicken and turkey

Calcium

Calcium can-do

Start the day off right with an iron-enriched cereal drowning in ice cold semi-skimmed milk

Children love yoghurts for dessert or as a snack. But beware the added sugars and artificial sweeteners in many varieties. You should also be aware that fromage frais tends to be higher in fat and lower in calcium than standard yoghurts – check out the food labels and compare.

Sliced apple, a handful of grapes and a piece of cheese make for a healthy but fulfilling snack. But make sure you use a real cheese – not a processed one, healthy ideas include Cheddar or Edam.

Vitamins and minerals

Tips for Healthy Family Eating

There has been an alarming increase in the number of children who are overweight or obese.

There are many factors that contribute to increasing levels of overweight and obesity. They include:

Children are eating and drinking more soft drinks, high fat and sugar based snacks and fewer vegetables.
Busy families are relying more on take-away food and snack foods.
Children are being driven to and from school instead of walking.
More time is being spent in sedentary activities such as TV watching, computer and video games.
Children are spending less time in outside play.

What can you do?

Ensure your child’s diet is balanced and contains fruit, vegetables, breads and cereals, meat and meat alternatives, and dairy foods.
Ensure they always eat breakfast to kick start the metabolism which improves concentration and to prevent poor morning snack choices.
Encourage water as a thirst quencher instead of soft drink and other sugar containing drinks.
Try to sit together as a family during meal times.
Set a good example yourself by eating a variety of everyday foods.
Involve children in food preparation and shopping to inform them of “everyday” food choices.
Select one night a week where the family goes for a walk together.
No food should be banned or called “bad” or “unhealthy”. Instead some foods are eaten as “everyday” foods and others as “sometimes” foods.
Discourage eating in front of the TV or computer.
Limit screen time to 2hrs/day.

This information is adapted from information provided by Northern Sydney Central Coast Area Health Service.

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