Children seem to grow up before your eyes. They're constantly running and playing, using up all their energy. Giving them healthy, tasty and nourishing foods will ensure that they get all the nutrients they need to stay strong and healthy.

Introducing healthy eating choices at a young age will also make it more likely that your children develop good eating habits for life. Try to involve your children with food selection and/or preparation, by letting them choose some new things to try, by keeping fruit in a place that can be reached easily, or by allowing them to help you with cooking and baking. Follow the basics of:

• Regular meals and snacks throughout the day
• Foods with a high fibre content
• Plenty legumes, fruits and vegetables

These basic guidelines will help you choose types of foods for nutritious meals and snacks:

Carbohydrates provide children with the energy they need, so make them the basis of meals and snacks. Choosing high-fibre foods, that help to slow down the release of sugar into the bloodstream, will keep your children full and their concentration levels up. So choose bran, whole-wheat or wholegrain options whenever you can. Various products are also marked as Low GI. Variations from the usual bread can include pita bread, rolls, crackers and wraps. Give these tuna toasted sandwiches a go this weekend.

Protein is very necessary for growth and development, and your children can eat some protein with each meal or snack. When preparing the food, remove skin from poultry, choose lean or extra lean beef or pork, bake or steam fish, and buy tuna in brine. The essential fatty acids found in oily fish are great for brain development and function, so choose some salmon, pilchards, mackerel or sardines at least once a week.

Lentils, peas, chickpeas and beans are an excellent source of plant protein and are high in fibre. Ways to introduce these foods into meals include buying brown lentils to mix with mince; pureeing tinned chickpeas with some plain yoghurt and using the puree as a spread on sandwiches; buying hummus which is made from chickpeas, mashing butterbeans or any light-coloured beans and adding it to a cheese sauce or potato mash. They can also be added to stews, soups, rice, curries, or salads. Here we've added some beans to the mince in this quick and delicious lasagne.

Nuts and seeds are also excellent sources of protein and healthy fats. They can be added to salads, breakfasts or eaten as part of a snack. Nut butters are great as a spread on sandwiches or some form of crackers. Eggs, eaten at most twice a week, are also good sources of protein. Instead of frying them, boil, poach or scramble them.

Fruit and vegetables are fibre-rich and will also give your children the vitamins and minerals they need to build a strong immune system. Try to get your children to eat at least 5 portions of various fruit and vegetables a day. Slice or grate fruit into small pieces to make it a bit more interesting, or get your children to help make you a smoothie for them, like this peanut butter smoothie. Keep the skin on the fruit as it keeps the fibre content high. Vegetables like baby spinach, cooked baby marrows, carrots and mushrooms can be added to salads for something different. Fruit juices are high in sugar, so dilute them with some water.

These are excellent sources of protein and calcium, needed for growing bones. Because young children are growing and always on the go, it's not necessary for them to eat only fat free products. After the age of 2, gradually move to low fat options for milk, cheese and yoghurts. Get them into the habit of eating plain yoghurt with fruit, saving sweetened and flavoured yoghurts for an occasional treat.

A BMI of 30 or over is used to classify adults as obese, based on the health risks associated with being in this BMI category. For children, the BMI number is age-related.  For children aged 2-7 years, a BMI of 20 or over is considered obese.  From 8 years old, this number rises steadily from a BMI of 21 to a BMI of 30 at 18 years.

What factors contribute to obesity in children?
Genetic, ethnic, hormonal aspects, physiological and sociological factors can all influence the incidence and progression of obesity.  However, a child with a family history of obesity is two to three times more likely to become an obese adult.

Environmental factors may be of even greater importance. Evidence indicates that reasons for overweight are mainly due to unhealthy eating patterns, combined with the fact that children are using less energy today than previously.  Television, computer and video games, as well as motorised transport are all increasing in popularity.  In affluent societies, few children are engaged in physically arduous tasks and labour-saving devices now characterise most domestic situations.

Does sugar contribute to obesity?
Practically all foods when eaten to excess are fattening. However, some foods are more fattening than others depending on their energy density. Moderate amounts of sugar have not been shown to be associated with overweight/obesity. The research clearly points to the amount of fat in the diet coupled with lack of exercise, as the primary contributors to obesity.

What are the physical consequences of being an obese child?
Obesity is generally associated with a rising risk of mortality and more specifically with an increased risk of non-insulin dependent diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, respiratory complications and certain types of cancers (e.g. large intestine and breast). 

Are there psychological consequences of being an obese child?
Obese children often suffer social stigma and psychological trauma due to discrimination. It has a major impact on a child’s self esteem and confidence levels and obese children may therefore not achieve their full potential as adults.

How can parents prevent obesity in their children?
Parents shape their children’s eating environments and behaviour through the foods they make accessible in the home, their own eating behaviour and by the way they interact with their children at mealtimes: 
1) Regular physical activity (fewer computer games and TV) combined with healthy eating, is the best way to control your child’s weight.
2) Establish healthy eating habits by ensuring that he/she has the recommended daily intake of micronutrients by eating a variety of foods.
3) Make sure your child eats breakfast. Breakfast-eating children have higher intakes of the essential nutrients needed for healthy growth and research shows that children who consume breakfast cereals tend to have lower BMI than non-consumers. 
4) Include foods that contribute a relatively high proportion of vitamins and minerals in relation to their energy content in their diet.Fortified breakfast cereals, are among the foods that meet these criteria.
5) Try to gradually reduce the amount of fat in the diets of children over the age of 4 years.
6) Encourage your child to eat slowly so that he/she can detect hunger and fullness better.
7) Eat meals as a family as often as possible, and involve children in preparing meals and selecting their own food.
8) Provide stable and predictive patterns of eating occasions.  Children need routine and structure; they cannot compensate for hunger as adult’s can and therefore children need regular meals and snacks.
9) Instead of heavy snacking, stock your kitchen with healthy low fat snacks for example: fortified breakfast cereals, raw veggies, fruit, low fat milk or yoghurt or crackers.
10) Children learn by watching others – thus it is important that parents themselves set a good example by eating nutritious meals and snacks in addition to exercising.
11) Give your overweight child support, acceptance and encouragement.

These recommendations take into consideration both macronutrients [carbohydrate, protein and fat] and micronutrients [vitamins and minerals]. The fact that energy is required for growth goes almost without saying. Vitamins and minerals in themselves do not contribute to energy; they contain no calories/kilojoules, however they are catalysts in making energy available to the body. Basically only carbohydrates protein and fats directly contribute to energy intakes.

Energy intakes amongst boys and girls younger than 10 years are not gender sensitive. Vitamin and mineral requirements also do not differ between genders in this age group. However, as children reach adolescence, the patterns of body water, lean body mass, bone and fat show increasing differences between boys and girls. A girl’s skeleton reaches its full size at the age of 17 years, and boys at 20 years. The fat contents of girl’s bodies are one and a half time more than that of boys. Given these changes, girls require less energy than boys do. In relation to the energy differences, girls will also then subsequently require less protein, fat and carbohydrate than boys will. 

Boys have increased requirements of most vitamins and minerals in relation to their increased energy needs. Boys aged between 11-18 years need between 7 and 17% more of the B vitamins; B1, B2, B3, and B6. They need 12% more phosphorous and 27% more choline.  Both girls and boys in the age group 10-18 years have an especially high requirement for calcium, due to the rapid growth of bone tissue during the 'growth spurt' phase, with an accelerated increase in height. About 45% of adult skeletal (bone) mass is added during adolescence. Girls on the other hand, require 25% more iron than their male counterparts to cope with the iron losses as a result of the onset of menstruation. Table 1 shows the areas of difference.

TABLE 1: PHYSICAL AND MENTAL MILESTONES OF GROWING CHILDREN

Supper
• 1 small chicken breast
• 2 heaped table spoons pasta
• 3 table spoons peas
A few cherry tomatoes

Why are good eating habits so beneficial to children?
Your children will learn better in school, feel and look their best and have a better chance of a long and healthy life if you start teaching them good eating habits as young as possible and set a good example for them yourself.  Focus on feeding your children foods that are rich in nutrients such as whole-wheat products, cereals, fruits, vegetables and milk with moderate portions of meat, fats and added sugar.  Don't forget to have them drink about 6 glasses of water or other liquids every day as well.

What should I be feeding my children daily?
All children need at least the lowest quantity of servings from each of the five food groups.  A serving is about half a cup.  Some children may prefer smaller portions than those specified, depending on their age, appetite, growth rate, size and activity levels.

1) Milk and milk products
These are an important source of calcium to build strong bones and teeth. They also provide protein, vitamin A, riboflavin and phosphorus.

Quantity Serving Foods
2–3 servings (a total of 500 ml a day) 1 cup milk; 1 cup yoghurt; 30 g cheese or ½ cup cottage cheese
 Milk; buttermilk; maas; cottage cheese; cheese and yoghurt
* note that children older than 4 years may now use low fat milk and dairy products instead of full cream variants.
200 ml of milk provides about the same amount of calcium as 30 g cheese; 500 g cottage cheese and 200 ml yoghurt
Milk blends are a mixture of skim-milk powder and non-dairy creamers; their nutritional value is lower than that of milk.

2) Meat and meat alternatives
These provide protein, iron (for muscle formation) and certain vitamins.  They help form healthy blood.

Quantity Serving Foods
2–3 servings 60–90 g cooked, lean meat, poultry or fish; ½ cup cooked dry beans; 2 tablespoons peanut butter; and 1 boiled egg or 30 g cheese [like a matchbox size] Meat, fish or chicken: Chicken and turkey (without skin); fresh and frozen fish; tuna and salmon canned in brine; pilchards; sardines, mackerel, etc.
Legumes: Dried beans (soya, butter, sugar, etc.), dried peas, lentils and vegetable protein (soya products – soya mince/patties).

3) Fruit and vegetables
These provide many important vitamins and minerals, such as vitamins A, C and folic acid, to keep eyes, skin and blood healthy.  They are also an important source of fibre and help protect children during periods of illness.

Quantity Serving Foods
2–3 servings of fruit;
3–4 servings of vegetables Fruit: 1 medium fruit; ½ cup fruit juice; ½ cup sliced or cubed fruit or 50 ml dried fruit
Vegetables: ½ cup of any vegetable cooked or raw, or ¾ cup vegetable juice Fruit: All fresh fruit (dried fruit and fruit juices contain more sugar than fresh fruit, so do not give more than four portions (in total) a week; canned fruit should be limited to one portion a week)
Vegetables: All fresh , frozen and dehydrated vegetables (limit potato chips, fried and glazed vegetables to once a week)

4) Grains and grain products
These are a source of carbohydrates, iron and B-vitamins.  They provide energy for children to grow, develop, learn and keep physically active.  These foods also provide fibre, which helps to keep the digestive system working properly.

Quantity Serving Foods
6–9 servings
 ½ cup children's cereals; 1 slice bread or ½ roll; ½ cup cooked cereal, rice, or pasta Enriched ready-to-eat breakfast cereal (any of the wide variety offered by Kellogg's®), brown or whole-wheat bread, rusks and crackers, brown or white rice, spaghetti and macaroni, mealie-rice and samp; muffins made of whole-wheat flour; rolled oats and unrefined maize meal porridge.

5) Fats and oils
Fats, oils, fried foods and sweets are foods that contain mainly oils and sugar and should be used in moderate amounts.  Be aware that fats and added sugars are found in varying amounts in all food groups.

Quantity Serving Foods
Recommended allowance: 45–50 ml or 45–50 g a day 5 ml (1 teaspoon) margarine, butter, fat, oil, mayonnaise;
10 ml (2 teaspoons) salad dressing
15 ml (3 t) cream;
10 g bacon; 2 tablespoons peanut butter Soft margarine containing 50 per cent or more polyunsaturates, sunflower, soy, canola, olive and maize oil; soy spread.
Limit the following to 4 portions or less a week: reduced oil salad dressing, butter, peanut oil.
Limit the following to once a week: mayonnaise, coffee creamers, cream and imitation cream, bacon, lard, white cooking fat and chocolate.

6) Food supplements
Unless your child is allergic, has poor eating habits or has a specific medical condition that makes it impossible to eat a variety of foods, supplements should not be necessary if you follow the nutritional guidelines above.

7) Snacks
Preparing lunch-boxes instead of buying food at school tuck-shops is healthier and more economical as a rule.  Great lunch box additions are: apples, bananas, peanuts and raisins, cereal and milk bars, dry fortified kids breakfast cereal, whole-wheat crackers and cheese, fruit sticks, rusks, whole-wheat scones and bran muffins.

Suitable snacks are those that have a variety of nutrients, a low salt content and will not spoil your child's appetite for the next meal.

Good snacks: Nutritional value:
20 g cheese 160 mg calcium
175 ml fruit yoghurt 250 mg calcium
250 ml malted milk* 325 mg calcium
1 cereal and milk bar 57 mg calcium
30 g biltong 1.6 mg iron per 30 g
50 g packet raisins 1 mg iron
30 g dried apricot bar 0.9 mg iron
40 g iron fortified breakfast cereals 2.5 mg iron
*Children who don't like milk can eat cheese sandwiches, cheese and biscuits or yoghurt as snacks.

Most children also enjoy eating fortified breakfast cereals as a dry snack.  Dried fruit sticks and cereal and milk bars are good sources of most B vitamins, such as thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6 and folate. Some fruit bars and cereal bars are fortified with vitamin and mineral mixture, including iron, calcium, vitamin B12 and pantothenic acid.  Most of these snacks are also good sources of zinc.  Dried fruit bars (0 g fat per 20 g) and cereal and milk bars (3g fat per 20g) are also nutritious and have little fat.

Try to limit giving your children snacks with a high fat content:
Food Fat content
25 g packet potato and maize crisps 8 g fat
30 g dried sausage 8 g fat
50 g chocolate bar 15–29 g fat
5 g crispy salt biscuits 1.4 g fat
60 g 'vetkoek' or doughnut 9 g fat

Too many sweets eaten between meals and with poor dental hygiene encourage tooth decay.  Excessive consumption of fat laden foods and too little physical activity is a recipe leading to overweight problems which could lead to high blood pressure and diabetes later in one’s adult life.  Obesity can also cause backache, knee and foot problems.

What should each meal contain?
Breakfast
Start the day the healthy way – with breakfast.  We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  It should provide 25% of our children's daily nutritional needs.  Even with a healthy breakfast, it is important to children to eat small frequent meals, including snacks, to sustain healthy growth.

Serving a children’s breakfast cereal with milk will provide almost a quarter of their daily calcium needs.  Fortified [vitamin enriched] cereals make it easier to include a variety of nutrients in one meal, especially for children who are picky eaters.  Kellogg's® has a wide variety of breakfast cereals fortified with immune boosting vitamins A and C and energy releasing B vitamins and iron.

Lunch
Lunch can be a light meal consisting of a sandwich with a nourishing filling [tuna/pilchards/peanut butter/egg/chicken/lean ham] and a fruit or even some leftover food from the previous evening's meal

Dinner
The main meal is usually served in the evening when the family can enjoy it together. To save time in the morning, prepare your children's school lunch boxes while the evening meal is cooking.

To sum up:
1) Give your children a variety of food 
2) Make starchy foods (bread, cereal, rice, pasta and other grain products)   the main part of your meal 
3) Give your children plenty of fruit and vegetables every day 
4) Use fat sparingly 
5) Use salt sparingly 
6) See that your children drink lots of clean safe water
7) Give your children healthy snacks

Carbohydrates provide children with the energy they need, so make them the basis of meals and snacks. Choosing high-fibre foods, that help to slow down the release of sugar into the bloodstream, will keep your children full and their concentration levels up. So choose bran, whole-wheat or wholegrain options whenever you can. Various products are also marked as Low GI. Variations from the usual bread can include pita bread, rolls, crackers and wraps. Give these tuna toasted sandwiches a go this weekend.

Holidays mean sweet treats and fizzy cool drinks!  However, don’t chase your children away from the party table just yet.  Food is a big part of the pleasure of parties, holiday celebrations and other social gatherings.  Just because you try to make your children eat healthily all year round doesn’t mean they have to miss out on the fun now.  Treats can fit into a healthy eating plan for the health conscious.  The secret is moderation and balance.  Plan ahead during the holidays; and balance high kilojoule and high-fat choices with low kilojoule fruits and veggies.

1) Eat breakfast or a snack before conquering the malls: It will help prevent children from asking for a burger as soon as they reach the entrance.

2) A Snack Attack: Snacks are more than just a habit; most kids really need that middle of the afternoon fuel.  Kids generally eat smaller portions and they need to refuel more often. Eating every three to four hours helps to control overeating brought about by hunger.

It is most important to make wise snack choices.  Bulk up on foods from the bottom of the Food Pyramid Guide: whole grains such as breads, rolls, bagels, crackers, popcorn or dry breakfast cereals. Make snaking more festive, for example, mix Kellogg’s Rice Krispies® with marshmallows, serve chopped fresh fruit with dried fruit, mix fruit and vegetables together or serve frozen dairy products like yoghurt, fruit and milk drinks.• Share the holiday spirit - and your food: Cut the kilojoules and double your pleasure by sharing holiday treats with a friend.

3) Be adventurous - take kid’s palates on a taste adventure: Why not try something new and add variety to their eating plan? Treat them to something new, ethnic or exotic, such as fruit pizza (give the cheese a miss) or a mango fruit smoothie or bread toasted and topped with low-fat cheese.

4) Keep it quick and simple: fill rolls or breads with low-fat cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce; smear crackers with peanut butter or low fat cheese spread and serve with a glass of juice.  Serve raw vegetables with a small amount of dip – just enough to coat the end of the vegetable is a good choice.

5) Keep plenty of cool clean water instead of juices available to drink.

6) Keep portions small

7) Go easy on fried foods: This is especially easy in summer time, when a cold roast chicken (with no skin or added fat) served with bread and salad is quick and easy to prepare.

8) Add nutrition and taste to old standbys: Try peaches on pancakes, load veggies on pizzas or top a baked potato with cottage cheese.

9) Keep the children active and moving: Walk the aisles of the mall, go ice-skating or ten-pin bowling with your family and plan games at parties such volleyball, frisbee, cricket and rugby or soccer.

10) Help the environment, help yourself: Oranges, apples, pears, carrots and cucumbers are but a few of the many fruits and veggies that are available in their own, bio-degradable packaging. They travel well and require little or no preparation.

11) Make some noise, add some crunch: Fill up on fibre-rich foods, such as crunchy breakfast cereal added to yoghurt, whole grain breads, bran muffins or crispy pretzels.

What is ADHD?
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is mainly a hereditary disorder, described as a condition of the brain that makes it hard for those affected to control their behaviour.  It is important to note that ADHD is NOT caused by poor parenting, too much sugar, additives and colourants.

According to ADHASA (the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Association of Southern Africa) approximately 6-10% of South Africans have ADHD.  The condition usually persists throughout a person's lifetime, with boys two to three times more likely to be affected than girls.

There is good news for ADHD sufferers, however – many have overcome their difficulties, like Henry Ford, Albert Einstein, Walt Disney, Winston Churchill and Mozart!

How do I know if my child suffers from ADHD?
There are different subtypes of ADHD, ranging from inattention and hyperactivity, but the general symptoms to look out for in your child are: 
1) fails to give attention to detail or makes careless mistakes
2) struggles to follow through on instructions
3) has difficulty with organisation
4) avoids or dislikes tasks requiring sustained mental effort
5) loses things easily
6) is forgetful in daily activities

Most people will, after mentally ticking away at these symptoms, consider themselves and their children prime candidates for the ADHD label!  However, while all children have behavioural difficulties at times, children with ADHD have frequent and often severe difficulties, which interfere with their ability to live normal lives. The exact nature and severity of ADHD symptoms will vary from child to child.

How is ADHD treated?
ADHASA recommends the most effective treatment as “a combination of medication, dietary intervention, the necessary supplementation, therapy and/or counselling to learn coping skills and adaptive behaviours, as well as academic accommodations”.

Does sugar cause ADHD?
Concerns have been raised around too much sugar in a child’s diet causing ADHD.  However, according to NICUS (the Nutrition Information Centre at the University of Stellenbosch), research disputes this: “Sugar and food colours do not cause hyperactivity.  In controlled studies, research failed to show that children who consistently ate high levels of sugar were hyperactive.  Nor did hyperactivity occur after children consumed single high doses of sugar.  Scientists at the National Institutes of Health in the USA have concluded that the effects of refined sugar and food additives may have a role to play in only about 5% of children with ADHD, mostly either very young children or children with food allergies.”

What about food additives?
Some people have pointed to additives, colourants and flavourants as a cause for ADHD.  However, one should bear in mind that hyperactive behaviour was first described in medical journals over 100 years ago, long before artificial additives became standard food ingredients.

While some food additives found in cold meats, sausages, hot dogs, jams, cake mixes and flavoured cold drink have been shown to be harmful; these foods may only contribute to ADHD in a small percentage of children.  Before removing these foods from your child’s diet, consult a registered dietician to draw up an elimination diet which will help determine if a food is actually responsible for the symptoms.

Can supplements help my ADHD child?
There is no use for high doses of vitamin and mineral supplementation if a child is eating a balanced diet, with the exception of Omega-3.  This essential fatty acid is important for brain and visual function and is viewed as a beneficial supplement.  Natural sources are fatty fish, like pilchards, sardines, salmon, tuna and mackerel.

If you are concerned about your child’s diet, consult a registered dietician to have his/her diet assessed before using supplements.

Where can I find more information about ADHD?
Visit the ADHASA website at www.adhdsupport.co.za or call them during office hours on 012 997 0256.

How does your child's diet affect his or her academic performance?
A healthy nutritious diet plays an essential part in the development of a young mind and therefore academic success.  Children with unbalanced diets are more easily tired and irritable, and struggle to concentrate and deal with stress.  Although food as such can't turn your child into an instant genius, it can enable him or her to better utilise what they have and perform at their mental and physical best.

What foods will give your child’s brain a boost?
Carbohydrates and Vitamins
Carbohydrates maintain blood glucose levels and provide energy, while the Vitamin B group is important for energy metabolism.  Vitamin B6, especially, plays an important role in learning and memory, as well as fighting stress.  Vitamin A and C will guard your child’s body against infection.  Good sources of carbohydrates and vitamins are breads, breakfast cereals with added vitamins and minerals, brown bread, milk, fruit and fruit juices.

Zinc and Iron
Zinc, as found in meat, brown bread and dry beans, is important for the maintenance of the central nervous system.  There are also indications that zinc is important for cognitive function which includes psychomotor skills, memory and attention span.  Iron is essential for central nervous system functioning and plays a key role in the transport of oxygen to the brain.  Iron deficiency has been associated with poor appetite and susceptibility to infection, fatigue and poor educational achievement.  Sources of iron are breakfast cereals with added iron, dried fruit, meat (especially liver and kidney) and eggs.

Essential fatty acids (EFA's)
EFA's are essential for intellectual development.  A deficiency of EFA’s has been linked to learning difficulties.  Nuts, seeds and oily fish like pilchards, sardines, salmon, tuna and mackerel are good sources.

Amino acids: Tyrosine and Choline
Tyrosine, found in protein rich food, produces neurotransmitters that enliven the brain making your child more alert, attentive and motivated.  Choline has been studied as a potential memory enhancer and is naturally found in liver, eggs and lentils.  Lecithin is a wonderful source of choline and is available at health shops in granule or spread form.

What about supplements?
If your child is healthy and is eating a healthy balanced diet, he or she does not need additional supplements.  However, very poor eaters may need a basic multivitamin and mineral supplement.  Children who are prone to infection may benefit from immune boosting supplements.

A SIMPLE MEAL PLAN FOR OPTIMUM BRAIN POWER

Breakfast: 
A Kids Breakfast Cereal with added vitamins and iron (add a teaspoon of wheat germ and additional seeds and nuts)
Milk or yoghurt
Fresh fruit/fruit juice

Lunch:
Brown Bread sandwich with egg or tuna mayonnaise or cheese
Or sardines or pilchards or peanut butter
Or Crackers with cheese
Or scone/muffin with cheese
Or leftover meals from the night before eg.samp and beans or beef stew and pap, rice and chicken or Spinach and tuna quiche
And fruit/ fruit juice

Dinner:
Fish cakes or fish fingers (with added vitamins and iron) with mashed potato and peas
Or Roast chicken with potatoes and spinach
Or Butter bean and carrot soup with bread

Snacks:
Brown Bread Sandwiches with peanut butter and jam/cottage cheese/cucumber
Or crackers
Or dry breakfast cereal with added vitamins
Or Small packet of mixed nuts and raisins
Or fresh fruit
Or fresh vegetables cut up and served with cottage cheese
Or a glass of milk/yoghurt/maas

Drinks:
Water
Milk based drinks
Pure fruit juice

• Try to have the family eat at least one meal together.
• Give your children small meals throughout the day instead of large meals; they are easier to digest, especially when your children are younger than school-going age.
• Have takeaway only occasionally, it's expensive and usually high in fat and salt.
• Give sweets, chips and chocolates for an occasional treat, and then preferably following a meal.
• Encourage your children to be physically active - it's enjoyable and social, and it helps with development, stress and fitness levels.

While it's important to remember that all foods can be a part of healthy nutritious eating, try to make healthier choices every day and ensure that you are eating a variety of foods.