5 top tips for promoting healthy eating at home

Developing positive attitudes to eating habits and building nutritional knowledge as an area of early learning can not only support healthy lifestyles in childhood, but also throughout life. 

Let’s take a look at some of the ways to promote healthy eating in the home environment. These can be shared with parents and carers to support a consistently positive approach to healthy appetites for little tummies! 

Making food fun!  

Creative presentation and the use of colour can be a fantastic way to engage children in eating healthy foods, associating them with appealing and attractive arrangements. You can: 

• organise fruits and vegetables into fun shapes, for example using cookie cutters and arranging shapes into a bigger picture on the plate
• serve a variety of colourful fruits and vegetables to engage children in the visual appeal of bright and diverse foods.  

Prepare food together 

Young children love to help! Encourage children to participate in food preparation, washing vegetables, stirring ingredients or helping to arrange food on the plate. 

Giving children choices, but not too many, can contribute towards feelings of autonomy in selecting healthy options, allowing them to choose the foods they prefer and engage with all aspects of food preparation too.  

Establish a routine 

Consistency helps children to know what to expect and can reduce grazing by establishing set times for eating. Set snacks are a significant part of a young child’s diet to maintain energy when constantly on the move! Utilise and establish these opportunities as much as any other larger meal.  

Talk about food  

Understanding why it is important to eat healthily puts greater value on the choices we make when it comes to our plates. Engage children in the wider context of food, naming fruits and vegetables, talking about where food comes from, explain why they are good for their body. 

Role model healthy behaviours 

Demonstrate healthy eating habits by consuming nutritious meals with your child. Make mealtimes a social time that highlights your enthusiasm for healthy meals and creates a positive, welcoming attitude for eating healthily together.