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Children's Nutrition 1: Developing Healthy Behaviours |
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Written by Ministry of Health
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Children need to eat a variety of different foods to stay healthy and grow.
The more active a child is, the more energy they need from food.
Offer healthy snacks and water often when your child is being active.
Encourage all children to be more active so they are able to maintain a healthy weight.
Reduce inactivity such as TV viewing and computer screen time to avoid children becoming overweight.
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Take Part in Regular Physical Activity
Being active should be part of every child’s daily routine - at home, at school and at play. Encourage children to be physically active for at least 30 - 60 minutes every day.
Physical activity includes playing, riding a bike, walking, dancing, organised games and sport, kapahaka and kilikiti, as well as helping with household tasks. Try a variety of activities to discover those the child enjoys. Involve the whole family.
Young children need to develop a range of skills such as:
Participation in a range of activities will help your child to develop these skills and become confident in their abilities.
Make activity fun.
Advice for Developing Good Eating Behaviours in Children
To help children develop good eating behaviours:
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provide a wide variety of nutritious foods for children to choose from
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encourage children to try new foods
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keep presenting foods even if the child doesn’t like them - children’s tastes change
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let children serve themselves, and decide on meal size
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avoid using rewards or forcing or coercing a child to eat
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have meals together as a family (when possible)
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have mealtimes at an appropriate time for young children
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limit distractions at mealtimes (turn the TV off)
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have takeaways as an occasional treat, not as an everyday meal
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give snacks that are low in fat, salt and sugar
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limit juice and dried fruit intake because they have a high sugar content.
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