Ministry of Health: Promoting Healthy Lifestyles

Hot tips for parents

Young people need healthy food for their bodies and brains to work properly.  Get them into healthy habits with these tips.

• Keep a variety of fresh vegetables and fruit on hand for snacks.

• Encourage children to drink water throughout the day. Service it in a jug with ice. You could add slices of orange, strawberry, kiwifruit or lemon.

• Hooked on sweet drinks? Wean your children off gradually by making water the only option at breakfast, then add lunch, then dinner. Soon they’ll be drinking water with meals all the time.

• Eat in season– seasonal vegetables and fruit are the cheapest, freshest and tastiest.

• “What should we eat at our main meal?” Try meat (size of the palm of your hand), add some rice/pasta/potato and plenty of vegetables or salad.

• Eat together as a family as often as possible.

• Avoid using food or drink as a treat or reward – a special activity can be used instead.

• Cook a meal with your children once a week – you’ll be surprised what they can do, and their future flatmates will thank you!

• Help children stay active – it’s a great way to have some fun and spend time together.

• If you have time, eat breakfast with your children – it sets everyone up for the day.

• Avoid calling food ‘good’ or ‘bad’ – instead try ‘everyday’ and ‘sometimes’ food.

• Treat overload. A treat is not a treat if it happens every day! Check how often your children have treat foods. Have ‘everyday’ foods for everyday occasions, like school, and keep treats for special occasions like parties.

• ‘Lighten up’ and use reduced fat versions of mayonnaise, coconut cream, cream cheese, minced beef and milk (for children over two).

• Try foods from a range of different countries and cultures for new flavours, colours, textures and aromas.

• Offer children a variety of healthy foods – different types, colours, textures, flavours, smells and temperatures – so they get all the nutrients they need.

• Introduce wholegrain bread by making it the only option for toast or by making sandwiches with one wholegrain slice and one white.

• Get more vegetables and fruit into their diet – fruit smoothies, carrot sticks before dinner, savoury/fruit muffins, grated vegetables in mince/bolognaise/homemade hamburgers.

• Pack an extra sandwich or piece of fruit for that after school hunger!

• Bananas make a great snack for hungry children. Take fruit to keep them going when collecting your children from their ECE service or school.

• Try swapping:

     chocolate biscuits with plain fruit biscuits
     potato chips with plain popcorn
     fruit juice with a whole piece of fruit
     ice cream with yoghurt
     chocolate bars with dried fruit or nuts