Healthy Eating for Children and Young People

Posted on 27th January 2023 by Beth Owen

Why is Healthy Eating Important?

There are many reasons why healthy eating is important for children. Here are just a few of them:

1. Supports growth and development: Proper nutrition provides the nutrients needed for children to grow and develop physically and mentally.
2. Promotes a healthy weight: A balanced diet helps children maintain a healthy weight and reduce their risk of obesity and associated health problems.
3. Boosts immunity: A diet rich in vitamins and minerals helps boost children’s immunity, helping them fight off illness and disease.
4. Improves focus and concentration: Eating a balanced diet with adequate protein, healthy fats, and carbohydrates helps improve focus and concentration in school.
5. Supports a positive mood: Eating a balanced diet helps regulate children’s moods, energy levels, and sleep patterns, promoting overall well-being.
6. Lays the foundation for lifelong healthy habits: Establishing healthy eating habits early in life sets children up for a lifetime of good health.

In summary, providing children with a healthy diet helps them grow, learn, and thrive. It is crucial for Foster Carers to support and encourage healthy eating habits in children.

Using Meal Plans

Meal plans can help to encourage healthy eating in children by making it easier for them to make healthy food choices. They provide structure and guidance for carers and children as to what types of foods are recommended and what amounts to eat. They also allow time for you to plan ahead, so you can make sure you have the ingredients you need. Meal plans can also help to reduce food waste, and help to keep children from eating too much or too little. Finally, a meal plan can make it easier for children to try new, healthy foods and incorporate them into their diet.

We’ve put together a 5-day healthy eating meal plan to give you some ideas. If you would like to, you can download and print this out to use at home. We’ve also added a blank template that you can fill out yourself. It might be a good idea to get children involved when doing this; it will help them to feel included when making decisions about what they are eating. You can visit our Document Library to access them. Find them under the ‘Free Resources for Foster Carers & Young People’ section.

This meal plan offers a balance of protein, whole grains, and vegetables. This will help to provide children with the nutrients they need for healthy growth and development.

Tips for Encouraging Healthy Eating

Healthy eating habits are essential for children to grow and develop properly. Here are some of our favourite tips to help encourage healthy eating for children at home:

1. Offer a variety of healthy foods: Offer a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins to give children the nutrients they need.
2. Make mealtimes fun: Encourage children to try new foods by making mealtime a fun and interactive experience.
3. Lead by example: Children are more likely to adopt healthy eating habits if they see their Foster Carers and other role models eating healthy foods.
4. Reduce sugary drinks: Encourage children to drink water, milk, or 100% fruit juice instead of sugary drinks like soda.
5. Encourage regular meals: Regular mealtimes help regulate a child’s metabolism and control their weight.
6. Avoid using food as a reward: Offer praise, affection, or other non-food rewards to reinforce good behavior.
7. Limit screen time during meals: Encourage children to eat without distractions, such as television or other screens.

By following these tips, you can help create a healthy eating environment for children. This will help to set them up for a lifetime of healthy habits.

Get in Touch

If you would like to get in touch, you can call, text or WhatsApp Rachael on 07938 575 738; or send an email to foster@lorimerfostering.com. If you would prefer us to call you, please submit your details using the form below; and we’ll get back to you soon!