HEALTHY EATING Laser Learning Ltd 2016

Transcription

1 HEALTHY EATING

2 Why do we need food? We need food for: Growth Development Energy Pleasure For staying alive To achieve all this we have to eat good quality healthy foods, and that means knowing your food groups and how much you need from each of them and how often.

3 Why is healthy eating so important? Eating a poor diet as a child can cause: Growth retardation Poor teeth Weak or brittle bones A weak immune system Poor concentration

4 Why is healthy eating important? Children who grow up on unhealthy diets with limited exposure to and consumption of highly nutritious food will often go on to eat in the same way as an adult. The habits we create for them now can live with them for a lifetime.

5 The eatwell plate

6 The eatwell plate The eat well plate shows you the ideal balance of each meal. It does not give you a breakdown of what to eat at which meal on which day. The plate guides you as to the percentage of each food type you will need at each meal. It is important to remember as well that portion sizes differ according to age and gender.

7 The eatwell plate The foods you need to have the biggest portions of at each meal or at least over the course of a day are from: The bread/pasta/rice/potato group The fruit and vegetable group

8 Fruit and vegetables You need to eat a minimum of 5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day, preferably of as many different colours as you can.

9 Healthy eating principles When preparing food for children remember these 4 key healthy eating principles: Eat 5-10 portions a day of fruit and vegetables Try to eat a rainbow every day (use lots of different colours of fruit and veg) No one food on the plate should be bigger than the palm of the recipient s hand. Keep the meals as natural as possible.

10 Protein Protein comes in the form of: Fish Meat Eggs Pulses Mycoprotein like Quorn Children need one portion of this food at least twice a day, preferably 3 times a day.

11 Dairy Children also need to eat: Dairy, and milk products - these can be alternatives like soya milk A very small portion each day of fats Occasional sugar treats

12 Fats Fats - We talk a lot about fat-free diets but children must have fat in their diets to assist in brain and nervous system development; without fat the body cannot absorb necessary vitamins.

13 How to encourage fussy eaters Get children from the earliest possible age involved in food preparation, cooking and presentation. Let them choose their rainbow or paint pallet of vegetables. Make mealtimes interesting, fun and relaxed. For example, you could prepare a face on the plate with carrot eyes, broccoli hair, mushroom ears, pepper lips, etc.

14 Give children choices Use different-sized spoons so that children can serve themselves: The big spoon to give themselves a big serving of foods they know and like, The medium spoon for things they are not too sure about, The little spoon for things they do not like or have not tried before. Giving children choices in a carefully controlled way encourages independence, but supports what you want to happen.

15 Healthy eating initiatives Many local authorities now run initiatives to support healthy eating. For example, it s quite common to see schools open for breakfast club now. This is good for children as they like to be the same as everyone else and quite often parents are not able to make time to sit and eat with children in the morning, but their friends and club leaders do.

16 Activity Prepare an activity based around creating a meal with 4 children aged 3 years old. Remember portion sizes, the eatwell plate, presentation and choice. Try it out with some children and then evaluate the success of the activity.