A healthy and nutritious diet is important for under-fives since what they eat in the early years will set a pattern for life. By making sure their diet is a good one now, you will be helping your child to learn good habits and go on to eat healthily as adults. Here, we tell you how.

The media has recently given much coverage to healthy eating in schools, particularly in children over the age of five. However, research shows that food preferences are established in early childhood. It’s also been shown that food intake has a direct effect on learning and behaviour. A balanced, nutritious diet is therefore also important for children under five.

The difficulty in doing this is that many parents and early years professionals don’t feel they know enough to help them provide young children with a nutritious daily diet. In response to this need, the Pre-school Learning Alliance launched the Feeding Young Imaginations campaign, the aim of which is to provide information on good nutrition.

As part of the campaign, the Alliance will be producing a range of healthy and fun recipes for parents (see page 101) – working in partnership with the British Nutrition Foundation and Annabel Karmel, author of many bestselling books on child nutrition.

Why is food so important?

Early experiences of food affect our eating patterns in adult life. And, it is known that a child’s diet in the early years affects their future health and wellbeing. For example, deficiencies in nutrients in the early years could lead to future health problems. So, if children learn to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet now, they are likely to continue to do so into adulthood.

Eating a balanced diet also provides them with the vitamins and minerals they need to develop. In addition, healthy eating has been shown to improve learning and behaviour, so food is one of the most important factors in your child’s development.

Under-fives grow and develop in many different ways. To make sure they get a wide range of nutrients, it’s important that they eat a balanced diet consisting of foods from the four main food groups:
1. Bread, cereals, pulses, rice and potatoes.
2. Fruit and vegetables.
3. Milk and dairy foods.
4. Meat, fish and alternatives.

A good supply of protein, calcium, iron, and vitamins A and D are very important for under-fives.

Calcium
Childhood is an important time for both bone and tooth development – and calcium is essential for healthy bones and teeth. Dairy products such as milk, cheese and yoghurt are good sources of calcium.
Whole cow’s milk is recommended as a main drink for children over the age of 12 months as it is a rich source of a number of nutrients. After the age of two, you can give your child semi-skimmed milk, as long as their diet provides enough energy. Skimmed milk is not suitable for children under five, as it does not provide enough energy and vitamin A for a growing child. Other foods such as white bread, dark green leafy vegetables and pulses (for example, baked beans) are additional sources of calcium.

Iron
Red meat is the best source of easily absorbable iron for young children, and you can give it to your child from the age of six months. But children may not like iron-rich foods such as liver and red meat. To make sure your child has enough iron, you could give them mildly flavoured liver pâté (for children over a year old) or homemade minced meat burgers.

Vegetarian children must have alternative sources of iron such as green vegetables and pulses. Bread and some wholegrain or fortified breakfast cereals are additional sources of iron. However, iron from plant sources is less well absorbed by the body than iron from animal sources. Eating foods or drinks containing vitamin C (such as orange juice) with the meal can improve this.

Vitamins
Like adults, children should be encouraged to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day to make sure they get a good supply of nutrients like vitamins A, C and folate. A portion size for a child is smaller than a portion for an adult – about the size of a child’s fist.
Examples of a fruit portion for a child under five include:

• Fruit juice (25ml) diluted with water
• A small  banana
• Half a sliced apple or pear
• A satsuma
• A small box of raisins

It’s important to make sure that your child eats a range of different nutrients every day. The colours of fruit and vegetables give clues to the types of vitamins and minerals in each variety. By giving your child a range of differently coloured foods, you’ll be giving them the best range of nutrients.

Here are a few clever ways to hide fruit and vegetables in foods:
Load chopped vegetables like tomatoes or spinach on to favourite dishes like pizza.
Add finely sliced carrots or celery to stews, curries and pasta sauces.
Purée cooked fruit such as apple either in a blender or by mashing with a fork and add to yoghurt, rice pudding or custard.

Omega-3 fatty acids
Children should be encouraged to eat oily fish, as they are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for health and the development of the nervous system. Oily fish, along with white fish, can be given to girls up to twice a week and up to four times a week to boys. Some examples of oily fish are sardines, trout, salmon (canned and fresh), mackerel and fresh tuna (not canned).

Energy levels

Young children have high energy requirements in relation to their size because they are growing quickly and becoming more active. To meet their energy needs, it’s best to give your child foods that are high in energy (and also rich in nutrients) as part of small but frequent meals, as their small stomachs can’t cope with big meals. Remember, your child’s appetite will vary, depending on their level of physical activity and growth.

What if my child has problems with food?

Many children have problems with food at some point, from ‘fussy eating’ to toilet trouble. A large number of children go through phases of refusing to eat certain foods or not wanting to eat anything much at all. This is particularly common for children up to the age of five, however, it is a normal part of growing up and asserting independence. The important thing is not to worry or get stressed, as these difficulties can usually be resolved fairly easily. Here are some tips to help you:
Give your child regular meals and snacks rather than letting them ‘pick’.
Make mealtimes fun – try using brightly coloured plates and presenting the food in an attractive way
Try to remain calm and relaxed.

Your child might also become constipated or get diarrhoea. Constipation is quite a common problem in young children, but it can be dealt with by gradually increasing the amount of fibre in their diet. Try increasing the amount of vegetables, wholemeal bread and other fibre-rich foods that are popular with children, such as baked beans and high-fibre white bread. Not drinking enough can also lead to constipation so try and encourage your children to drink more water.

Diarrhoea is also quite common in toddlers and may be due to an under-developed gut. Encourage your child to eat small meals and snacks from the four main food groups, making sure they eat at least one food from each group at each meal. Restrict sweetened drinks to meal times. Also, if your family has a high-fibre diet, you may find it helpful, initially, to reduce the amount of fibre you give your young child.

Eating as a family

Sitting down to eat together as a family has many benefits. Research has shown that it can lead to lower weight in children, a higher intake of healthy food and greater self-esteem. Making meal times a social occasion gives you the chance to talk about what you’re eating and your child can also see you enjoying a range of foods, setting them an example to follow. Children are more likely to copy eating habits already followed by their parents – if they see you eating healthy food, they’re much more likely to eat the same foods themselves. By helping you to prepare vegetables or lay the table, children can also learn new skills.

Case study: Learning about food

Brocket Pre-school in Hertfordshire is very enthusiastic about its food. The group has made a special effort to include cookery and role-play by having a home corner kitchen in the day-to-day activities of the setting. Hayley Nevill, head of staff at the pre-school, explains why their cookery classes have been such a great success: “The children get a lot out of the lessons, and not just through learning opportunities. They also really enjoy it.” Particular highlights for the children include making pumpkin soup at Halloween.

The children have also been discovering how vegetables grow. “We are lucky to have great grounds. We’ve created a digging area in the garden where we grow our own vegetables. The children recently dug up the potatoes, washed them and then enjoyed chopping them up! We prepared and cooked chips, jacket potatoes and mash to show them how many different ways they can be eaten.” Although the ages of the children vary, everyone joins in to do some cooking. For example, young children can ice biscuits or stir Christmas cake mixture.

“All the parents are really supportive,” says Hayley. “In spring we’re going to put together a cookery book of the parents’ and kids’ favourite recipes, and recipes that have worked well in the nursery and gone down well with the children.”

Because of the lessons, the children are very good at trying new foods from different countries and cuisines such as French cheeses and spicy foods. “They try things that they wouldn’t have tried at home, and they also learn about where the foods come from.” The staff at the pre-school were pleasantly surprised that there are few problems convincing the children to try new foods. Hayley believes that one way is to show great enthusiasm. “Because they are quite young, the children like to copy what other people are doing. If we look as though we are enjoying it, most children are happy to try anything. There are usually only a couple who might not try. I think it’s their age – when children are older and at school there is a much less positive reaction.”

Ideas for healthy snacks

Slices of apple
A small banana
Kiwi fruits
Strawberries
Satsumas
Grapes
Raisins and other dried fruit
Baby carrots
Celery sticks
Cherry tomatoes
Yoghurt
Fruit muffins
Cheese