It is astonishing how well-informed children are about food and nutrition these days. Last week I headed to Moira to do some nutrition workshops for a couple of local schools in as part of a shared education programme.
Ten and 11-year-olds know more about nutrition that we give them credit for. The message about a balanced plate, food groups and ‘eating a rainbow’ is their baseline. They know the basics well enough, but despite all of that we know that kids’ diets are still higher in sugar, fat and processed foods than is healthy, and that most children don’t hit their five a day.
What children eat in their early years sets the scene for health outcomes later in life. Setting good habits from an early age is important for a child’s development, behaviour and health.
What children eat in their early years sets the scene for health outcomes later in life
— Jane McClenaghan
This is not to point the finger or push the blame onto anyone. We live in a society where we are swimming in ultra processed foods, bombarded by advertising for junk food and the price of food is on the up.
Read more: Jane McClenaghan on smart ways to keep everyone well-fed – The Irish News
Despite all of this, most parents I know are doing their best to feed their family something they will eat for dinner, without too much of a battle at the end of a busy working day. It’s not easy, but there are ways to take the pressure off with shortcuts, easy wins and simple ways to eat well. Here are some ideas:
Keep it simple
Planning can help take the overwhelm out of mid-week meals. A simple meal planner for family dinners can help you work out what you need to buy, make best use of the ingredients you’ve got and where you can take shortcuts. Planning ahead means you are deciding what to cook when the pressure is off – much easier than trying to cook a dinner faced with hungry kids who need fed, right here, right now!
Cook once, eat twice!
You might have a household of fussy eaters who hate the idea of eating the same dinner twice, but rather than eating chilli and rice two days in a row, think about it like this – chilli and rice tomorrow makes the base for fajitas tomorrow. Roast chicken leftovers becomes chicken pesto pasta, or spaghetti bolognese tonight leaves enough for leftovers in a loaded baked potato for tomorrow.
Take shortcuts
Frozen vegetables means you don’t have to chop everything, pouches of ready lentils or tinned pulses help to bulk out a one-pot wonder like stew, curry or chilli. Look out for pre-cooked wholegrains – perfect as the base for a super salad, or to make a really quick and healthy version of egg-fried rice with some frozen peas, a handful of spinach, some leftover chicken and stir in some whisked up eggs. Season with soy sauce, add a pinch of chilli flakes, some garlic and a little ginger and you’ve got a tasty tea in no time.
Have some easy go-tos
You know the meals you can make in minutes, that everyone will eat and don’t take too much effort. Nothing fancy, just good, honest family food. Stir-fries, pasta dinners, eggs on toast.
Tick off the basics
Think protein first (meat, fish, chicken, tofu, pulses), add a carbohydrate (spuds, rice, pasta, noodles, bread) and one or two portions of veg (fresh or frozen) and you’re there. Offer fruit for afters to tick another one of their five-a-day.
Create an environment that makes the healthy choice the easy choice
For example, have the fruit bowl handy so kids can help themselves. Put water on the table at mealtimes instead of cordial, juice or fizzy drinks. Take sweets, chocolate and biscuits off your shopping list and swap for something healthier like dried fruit, yoghurts or oatcakes with cheese
Talk about it differently
Changing the language we use around food can be really helpful. Rather than label foods as ‘good’ or ‘bad’, using the terms ‘everyday foods’ and ‘sometimes foods’ feels better and less judgemental.
Keep it all in balance
It’s ok if dinner is pizza every now and then. You’re not going to strike a perfect balance all of the time, but that’s ok. It can be a tricky balancing act to get it right, so just do your best, change one thing and give it a go.
