It’s never too early to watch what your child eats. Making sure their daily diet is varied, nutritious, and excludes sugary, salty foods is not only good for their health, but helps to lay the foundations for a positive relationship between your child and the food they put in their bodies.
Food pyramids are a quick, easy way to learn about the foods you should include in your diet. Unfortunately, there are few that deal exclusively with young children’s dietary needs.
That’s why Park Academy head chef Rohan O’Duill has specially developed a food pyramid for parents of children aged 1-5 that sets out exactly how many daily servings of particular food groups their child should eat.
Based on the Park Academy food pyramid, we always recommend to parents of young children aged 1-5 these seven healthy eating tips.
Our top 7 healthy eating tips for children aged 1-5
- Eliminate high-sugar and high-salt foods
Avoid food and drinks that are high in sugar or salt. Children under 5 should not eat any food with added sugar or salt.
- Reduce their intake of fatty spreads and oils
Use minimal fat spreads and oils in your child’s food. Choose mono or polyunsaturated spreads like olive, rapeseed, or sunflower oil when preparing their food.
- Include oily fish in their diet
Eat oily fish once or twice a week as part of good protein-filled diet. This diet should also include eggs, beans, fish, poultry, and meat. However, be sure to limit the amount of processed, salty meats they eat.
- Full-fat milk is great for teeth
Children should always drink full fat milk and dairy products like yoghurt and cheese. Milk and water are great for your child’s teeth and can be taken on their own or with meals.
- Don’t forget starchy carbs
Give your child three to four servings a day of wholemeal cereals, breads, pasta, rice, or potatoes.
- Ensure they eat fruit and vegetables—with emphasis on the vegetables
Don’t forget to include your child’s ‘five a day’ of fruit and vegetables, with more vegetables and salads than fruit, which contain naturally occurring sugars.
- Always stay hydrated
Children need to drink at least six cups of water a day, or more depending on heat or their activity levels. Don’t give them sugary fruit juice, and definitely not as a substitute for water.
Bonus tip: Get them moving
As well as a well-balanced, nutritious diet, children need to be moderately to vigorously active for about an hour every day. Prioritise getting outdoors for a run around the park or playground.
Healthy eating is healthy learning
It’s never too early to get your child into the habit of healthy eating. At Park Academy Childcare, we believe that nutrition is an essential part of our child-led, play-based emergent learning philosophy. A healthy diet and a positive relationship with food is essential to a child’s happiness, self-belief, and willingness to learn.
For more information, visit Our Care and Find a Childcare Centre pages—or contact us now.
Conor Healy