Healthy eating for kids

By Jen Barton Packer on 29/1/2019

Kids are notoriously fussy eaters, but introducing them to healthy kids' meals and healthy eating habits from a young age is easier than you think.
From the time they start weaning, kids can have a diet that's rich in vegetables, whole grains and fruits – and that tastes delicious. Feeding children healthy dishes when they're young isn't just good for their growing bodies – it sets them up for a lifetime of healthier food choices.
And remember: just as important as what you're giving the kids is the meal surrounding it. That breakfast you share together will shape the day ahead, while hearing snippets of their school day at dinner lets you in on that bit of their lives you can't be a part of.

Weaning your baby

Once your baby is around six months, sitting upright and grabbing at food to put in their mouths, you can start introducing food into their diets – this is a really fun (and messy!) time but it can also feel stressful. Does every meal need to be homemade? Of course not. What if my baby rejects every vegetable puree I give them? We like the philosophy try, try and then try again when it comes to introducing babies to new flavours.

Should I let baby dictate how they'll eat with finger foods (baby-led weaning) or give them purees? Try both, and see what works for you and your little one. The general rule to remember is to introduce a few spoons or bites of a new vegetable or fruit to begin with before combining flavours together (in case your child has an intolerance or taste aversion).

We've discovered one the best cookbooks for healthy eating from day one: Start Fresh: Your Child's Jump Start to Lifelong Healthy Eating by Tyler Florence. The recipes are gorgeous (once you get past the simple fruit and veg purees, you've got sweet potato and blueberry pancakes, salmon and pea risotto and coconut chicken, to name a few), and they're wonderful for older children and adults, so you can swiftly start to give baby the same food as everyone else. Just stick whatever they're eating in the blender and leave out the salt. Life just got so much easier.

Photo: Jelleke Vannoteghem

Breakfasts

They tell us breakfast is the most important meal of the day. What they don't tell us is how once you have children, breakfast becomes a mine field. Juice is out (too much sugar), most cereals are out (also too much sugar; the advice is that kids have 5g of sugar or less per 100g) – the only cereals that fit this criteria are Weetabix (brilliant but messy), Shredded Wheat and a low-sugar form of Cheerios that taste like cardboard but you need to pretend are amazing so that your children never discover the far-tastier and unhealthier Honey Nut version.

Whole wheat toast is fine – just not too much of it – eggs are great if you can manage, and pancakes can be a lovely treat (especially topped with some deliciousness like bananas and blueberries – bonus points if you use wholemeal flour and oats in the batter). The go-to healthy eating breakfast staple is porridge: kids love the taste, the slow-burning carbs fill them up and give them energy for the day ahead, and it can be customised to tempt even the pickiest of eaters. Chia pots and açaí bowls are another tasty and unexpected breakfast idea worth a try.

Photo: Daria Nepriakhina

Get some healthy meal inspiration from the 'Gram

Love it or hate it, Instagram is one of our favourite resources when it comes to finding gorgeous-looking, healthy recipes for ourselves, and our kids. Sneaky Veg, Delicious Little Kitchen, My Fussy Eater and Green Juice and Gin are a few of our faves for meal ideas for kiddos.

We chatted to Annemiek, the yoga teacher and mum-of-three behind Green Juice and Gin, for her top tips on instilling healthy eating habits in your children (surely making super-colourful meals is one of them?):

1. Make sure they are really hungry when dinner is served, so stop feeding them all sorts of snacks after school and feed them dinner earlier. Bring an apple for pick up, or start by cutting apples and offer them that first instead of their normal school pick up treat – if they’ve finished the piece or pieces they can get their normal pick up treat. When my kids get out of school I always make sure I’ve got bowls of carrots, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and other healthy stuff on the table, so they fill themselves up with all sorts of healthy stuff without me forcing it on them.

2. A very tasty way of giving your kids some extra veggies is jamming them in a smoothie. One of my favourite recipes is: 25g porridge oats, one courgette, 4 ice cubes, water, honey, a small handful of berries, chia seeds and flaxseed. Your little one will have no clue how healthy this smoothie is as it is so tasty, they wouldn't think it could possibly be healthy.

3. When I started making my kids veggie soups, I let them choose and add their own toppings: croutons, grated cheese, pine nuts, etc. - whatever they liked to eat. The deal was, whatever you are going to put on your soup is fine, so long as you finish it.

4. Try to cut out meat from your pasta bolognese and add some beans or red lentils. I've got a staple veggie sauce with loads of carrots, celery, broccoli, onions, garlic and whatever greens need to be eaten from the fridge, like beans, broccoli, courgettes. Gently blend it and keep the sauce a bit chunky. I always add some red lentils, for protein and structure – just make sure you cook them long enough. Nutritious meal done! Also, I try to go for a vegetarian meal at least once or twice a week. Just by simply cutting meat out of your diet every now and then, you not only save money, but it's also good for your health and the planet.

5. Stop giving your kids juice or squash when they are thirsty or at meal times. Try to let them drink more water and use juices or other drinks more as a treat. Or let them choose between a nice drink or a pudding, instead of both.

How to feed your children on a school day

We hate to say it, but school is a nightmare if you're trying to encourage healthy eating. The after-school snack exchange is often a battle of wills when your child spots their friend with biccies (you brought breadsticks), you're not allowed a nut anywhere near school property and any child that has a birthday tends to bring in cupcakes or Haribos for the class – there can be weeks when your kid comes out of school with a different treat every single day. It's hard to be the one parent who bans their kids from birthday snacks, but when it's your child's birthday, you can at least bring in fruit kebabs or stickers for the kids.

Now, state schools offer free school meals for children in Reception-Year 2, but we guarantee that once your child enters Junior school they will declare school meals repugnant. While preparing packed lunch is another stick for parents to beat themselves up with each morning at 7:30am, it does allow you to sneak all kinds of healthy deliciousness into their meals: veggie soups, bean and rice salads, hard-boiled eggs, hummus and pitta.

Photo: Ella Olsson

Sugar and kids

Since we personally have an extremely well-developed sweet tooth, we don't believe in depriving kids of sugar entirely. What is childhood without birthday cake? Or making and decorating cupcakes with sprinkles and eating half of them before the cakes have gone in the oven?

However, as a parent it is terrifying to witness how quickly and dramatically sugar impacts a child. If you're curious about this effect and don't have kids, head to any soft play birthday party and listen the screaming as children bounce off walls after a slice of cake – it's scary. Some sugars are worse than others: where possible, steer clear of heavily processed foods with impossible-to-pronounce ingredients, juice (because everyone thinks it's healthy), fizzy drinks, sugar substitutes for kids and purportedly 'healthy' snacks like cereal bars, fruit snacks and kids' yogurts.

Take them food shopping – and eating

Sometimes, getting the kids interested in healthy eating is about the experience – plastic-free supermarkets are a great place to start because they look so gorgeous and have that pick-'n-mix style kids love. Only you're buying lentils instead of gummy worms. It's brilliant.

Squirrel is a casual healthy food hangout in South Kensington and Westminster: think salad bar meets tree house with acorn bowls and an oak counter, which makes it a fun spot for kiddos. Particularly if they're still in the fairy phase.

Photo: Johnny Stevens

Head out for a meal

Healthy meal planning is ultimately good for you and your family but frankly, you can't always be bothered. Thankfully, there are plenty of child-friendly restaurants in London, serving up sushi, sandwich wraps and more at a location near you. Because sometimes, the healthiest thing you can do for your kids is relax and enjoy yourself. With them.