Healthy eating
Pre-school children need small frequent meals and snacks throughout the day. It is the types and variety of foods that are eaten each time that ensure that nutrient requirements are met and that the diet is nutritionally balanced. The diet needs an appropriate intake of foods from the four main food groups:
- Bread, other cereals and potatoes
- Fruit and vegetables
- Milk and dairy foods
- Meat, fish and alternatives
Bread, other cereals and potatoes
- these foods provide carbohydrate, fibre, calcium, iron and B vitamins
- choose a mixture of white and wholegrain products
Wholemeal bread and wholegrain breakfast cereals are high in fibre. A small amount of fibre is important for health in pre-school children but too much can cause problems in still maturing guts and also reduce energy intakes by bulking up the diet. Providing a mixture of white bread and refined cereals, white rice and pasta as well as a few wholegrain varieties on occasion helps to maintain a good balance between fibre and nutrient intakes.
Fruit and vegetables
- these foods provide vitamin C, folate, potassium, fibre and important antioxidants
- fresh, dried, frozen, canned and juiced - they all count!
Like adults, children should be encouraged to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. Establishing this habit from an early age and an understanding of its importance is valuable in helping to shape future healthy eating habits. What constitutes a portion for a pre-school child is different from an adult portion, roughly speaking it is what fits in a hand.
Any of the following would be a suitable portion for a child under 5 years:
- 25 ml orange or apple juice diluted with water
- Small banana
- Half a sliced apple or pear
- Peeled satsuma
- Small bowl of canned fruit in juice
- Small box of raisins
- 40 g portion of broccoli, carrots, sweetcorn, peas, green beans or tomatoes
Milk and dairy foods
- these foods provide calcium, protein, zinc and B vitamins
- choose a mixture of full fat and lower fat versions
If a child is growing well and displays a good appetite for a variety of foods, semi-skimmed milk can be introduced from the age of 2 years. It can be introduced into meals and dishes first, such as on cereal or in white sauces to fit in with family life, before being offered as a drink, so that the transition is gradual. However, skimmed milk should not be offered to the under 5s, as it is too low in energy and vitamins.
Meat, fish and alternatives
- these foods provide protein, iron, zinc, magnesium and vitamin B12
- eat a range of these foods and include red meat and oily fish
Red meat is the best source of easily absorbed iron. Other meats and fish also provide iron in smaller amounts. Unless there are cultural or religious reasons, for not doing so, meat and fish should be offered on a daily basis. Vegetarian children may risk poor intakes of iron and zinc. Eggs, beans, pulses and fortified breakfast cereals provide iron, but the iron from these foods is not as efficiently absorbed by the body.
Absorption can be enhanced however, by eating foods and drinks rich in vitamin C at the same meal, such as citrus fruits, juices and tomatoes. Additional sources of zinc include brown and wholemeal bread, wholegrain breakfast cereals and red kidney beans chickpeas and lentils.
Liver is a good source of iron but is also a very rich source of vitamin A, which can be harmful in large amounts. It is therefore recommended that liver and liver containing products should not be given to children more than once a month.
Omega-3 fatty acids are important for health and nervous system development. The oily fish are a particularly good source of these fats and should be offered along with white fish at least twice a week. Some examples of oily fish included sardines, trout, salmon (canned and fresh) and mackerel, and fresh tuna (but not canned tuna).
Foods containing fat and foods containing sugar
- these foods provide enjoyment and palatability to the diet
- offer infrequently along with a variety of other foods Meat, fish and alternatives
Small amounts from a fifth food group, foods containing fat and sugar, can be added for palatability. Foods from this group are often offered as between meal snacks. While they are not off limits, they need to be provided with careful thought. In other words offering chocolate biscuits or crisps is fine in the context of a healthy balanced diet, but be careful that these foods do not become the mainstay of the diet. Foods high in fat, sugar and/or salt are often highly palatable and children naturally like them. However, offering a variety of different snacks can help balance the diet by providing different nutrients and establishing healthy eating patterns early on.