Can you suggest any products that are great for fussy eaters when it comes to getting in quality nutrition?
Morlife and Nutra Organics both do an awesome kid’s powder range, with a variety of blends available if your child is not getting enough variety in their diet. It brings peace of mind, knowing that you will be supporting a natural source of vitamins and minerals to help any gaps in your child’s diet. If your child is not eating enough food overall, then it can be helpful to discuss your options with a nutritionist or naturopath as there are also some child-friendly protein powder formulations that can be incorporated into the diet.
What can I add into my child’s diet to support their immune system?
Aiming to get a variety of coloured fruits and vegetables into the diet is helpful for the immune system as each colour will contain different vitamins and minerals. For example, green foods tend to be high in iron, folate and vitamin C, Red and Yellow foods tend to be high in vitamin C and vitamin A. It is also important to consider a variety of macronutrients – carbohydrates, fat, and protein – protein especially is important for immune system function and is typically found in meat, lentils, nuts, eggs, and dairy products.
Any tips for introducing new and unfamiliar foods into my child’s diet?
It may take several attempts at offering a new food to a child before they feel comfortable eating it. You may notice that your child wants to touch or just get familiar with the food item a few times before licking or putting it near their mouth. It’s important to be encouraging and praise the child when they do eat the new food to reinforce the behaviour. Make the new food part of the whole family’s meal so that the child can see it’s for everyone to try.
What should I be packing in my child’s lunchbox? Any golden rule of thumb?
A lot of schools have now introduced crunch and sip programs to allow time for children to eat fruit, vegetables, and drink water as part of their daily routine. This is important otherwise you will notice all the healthy food options come back in the lunch box and into the bin at the end of the day. It’s important to pack a variety of foods in your child’s lunchbox. Get to know what healthy options they enjoy eating so that the lunchbox is exciting to open for them. As a rough guide, try to stick to 1 serving of fruit, some veggie sticks, some rice crackers or popcorn as a snack, yoghurt, and a healthy main, such as a wholegrain sandwich or a cooked frittata or muffin. Limit how many discretionary foods are in the lunch box as they will always get eaten first! Consider having treat days once a week say on a Friday, so the child learns that these foods are only a sometimes food.
How can parents encourage healthy eating habits and behaviours from a young age?
It’s important to involve kids in healthy eating from a young age. Talk to them about why healthy food choices help make their bodies strong, their brain think etc. Involve them in the food preparation process where possible, so that eating healthy is a normal part of life. It’s important to demonstrate healthy eating and to eat together as a family. Offer a wide range of foods so that children can see that healthy eating involves eating a lot of different coloured fruits and vegetables.