Eating at School...
Below are our articles on the subject of Eating at School. If you can't see what you are looking for our other categories are displayed on the left under 'Our Quick Links'...
A Healthy Diet Cut Out Activity
It is very important to eat healthily and have a balanced diet. Can you cut out the different food groups and place them on the right section of the plate in this picture?...
A Healthy Diet for Your Child
Children should be eating the same food as the rest of the family after the age of five. They still need regular snacks, which ideally should be low in salts and sugars....
Alfie's Fruit and Veg Crossword
Alfie the rabbit has set a crossword for you to do. All the answers are fruit and vegetables. Use the clues to help you. Good luck!...
Alternatives to Fast Food for Kids
Though fast food is quick, easy, and often tastes good, it tends to be high in fat and sugar and low in fibre. It’s fine as an occasional treat, but there are alternatives that don’t take long to prep...
Anorexia and Your Teenager
Anorexia is a serious eating disorder in which sufferers literally starve themselves, have a distorted view of their own bodies, and exercise excessively. Anorexia can be life-threatening and needs ex...
Are Nuts Healthy?
Nuts have long had the reputation of being unhealthy, because they are so high in calories (and can also be high in sugar or salt, depending on how they are processed), but eaten in moderation they ar...
Binge Eating and Your Teen
Binge eating disorder is a common eating disorder in which an individual eats excessively but does not purge afterwards. This article discusses the causes of binge eating, signs and symptoms of this ...
Bottle Feeding Your Baby
Mothers who don’t breastfeed can feed their babies with formula milk. It’s essential to use sterile equipment when bottle feeding....
Breast Feeding Your Baby
Breast milk is best for babies. For the first six months of life, breast milk is the only food a baby needs as it offers the perfect balance of nutrients....
Bulimia and Your Teenager
Bulimia is an eating disorder in which sufferers go through cycles of bingeing and purging, usually by inducing vomiting or taking laxatives. Bulimia can have serious consequences for health, and need...
Can a Child Eat Too Healthily?
Children have different nutritional needs to adults, and cannot just eat a smaller version of an adult’s healthy diet....
Can a Toddler Be Vegetarian?
It is vitally important to make sure that growing children have a balanced diet for the development of both their brains and their bodies. Is it possible to bring a toddler up as a vegetarian and keep...
Can You Be Vegetarian or Vegan and Breastfeed?
Breastfeeding is the best nutrition for babies, and the World Health Organisation recommends breast milk as the only source of food for babies for the first six months. Breastfeeding can be a drain on...
Children and Foreign Food
Many children are suspicious of foreign food, and will be reluctant to try new tastes on holiday. Do encourage children to be adventurous about food, but adopt a relaxed, low-key approach on holiday a...
Children's Diet and the Long-term Effects
Obesity in children is becoming more common, and it can affect their long-term physical and psychological health. Tackling obesity will make them healthier and happier - here are some solutions....
Choosing a Vegetarian Diet for Kids
A look at the benefits of feeding children a vegetarian diet. Includes tips for assuring that kids are provided with adequate nutrients for healthy growth and development....
Choosing Healthy Foods for Kids When Eating Out
Eating out is a good way to get children to try new tastes and textures. Meals out tend to be higher in calories than meals at home, so keep it as a treat rather than a regular way of eating....
Coeliac Disease in Children
Coeliac disease is an autoimmune disease. Coeliac disease is triggered by gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley, and it causes inflammation in the gut, which stops the gut absorbing food pr...
Combining Breast and Bottle Feeding
Combining breast feeding and bottle feeding is possible, though the transition is easier if your baby is six months or older....
Coping With a Vegan Teenager
Teenagers become vegan for a variety of reasons - to improve their health, because of a concern for the environment or animal welfare, or even because they don’t like the taste or texture of animal pr...
Dangers of Additives
A look at food dyes and additives and their potential dangers. Focuses especially on the use of food additives in the diets of children....
Dealing with a Child that is Always Hungry
Children who are always hungry may be growing fast and need lots of calories. If children are eating healthy foods and not getting fat, it’s unlikely to be a problem. But if they are becoming overweig...
Dealing with Faddy Eaters and Picky Pre-Teens
Children often go through periods of faddy eating. It helps if the whole family adopts a healthy approach to meals. Most children get less fussy over time, but if it persists or they start to lose wei...
Dealing with Picky Eaters
Most children go through periods of faddy eating. Patience and perseverance usually helps, but if they continue to be picky about food, it may be necessary to get professional help....
Disguising 'Superfoods' in your Child's Diet
Trying to get your child to eat fruit and vegetables can be an up-hill struggle but with these tips life can be made a little bit easier....
Do Children Need Extra Vitamins and Minerals?
Children grow fast, and their developing brains and bodies need vitamins and minerals. Should they take vitamin supplements, or can they get everything they need from food?
Babies and children eat...
Do Other Dairy Products Count Towards Daily Milk Allowance?
Weaned and weaning babies should have about a pint (or more) of milk a day, to make sure they are getting all the nutrients they need. This can be as formula or breast milk, or the baby can take the m...
Dos and Don'ts of Feeding Your Toddler
All children are different, but following a few basic tips for mealtimes will help them develop a healthy attitude to food, and provide them with a balanced diet for energy and growth....
Drinking Water: Why and How Much?
Everyone's body is about 60 to 70 percent water, especially the blood, and the brain and muscles also contain plenty of water. It's important for everyone, including children, to drink plenty of water...
Eating Disorder Signs & Clues
Though eating disorders are often emotional in nature they are most frequently recognised due to the behavioural signs and clues associated with them. This article offers basic information on the beh...
Eating for Healthy Bones
Bones might seem to be solid, but they are actually made up of a spongy network of calcium, and they are constantly being broken down and reformed. In children and teenagers, more bone is deposited th...
Eating for Strong Teeth
Eating for strong teeth is as much about what not to eat as it is about what to eat....
Encouraging a Healthy Attitude Towards Food
Parents can help children to develop a sensible attitude towards food by adopting a healthy approach to eating. A loving and supportive atmosphere at home will help children confide if they are having...
Encouraging a Positive Body Image in Your Child
Children today are bombarded by images of skinny supermodels and muscular, athletic body-builders. With the incidence of eating disorders growing all the time, parents need to watch out for warning si...
Encouraging Toddlers to Eat Vegetables
Some useful help in encouraging your toddler to eat their vegetables....
Ensure Your Child is Getting "Five-a-Day"
There are plenty of creative ways to help kids get their five fruit and vegetables every day. If kids are fussy eaters, parents can even disguise them in sauces, soups and even cakes – but after tryin...
Expressing Breast Milk
Expressing breast milk is something that many women do for a number of reasons, but mainly because their baby continues to reap the benefits of breast milk without having to suckle at the breast....
Feed a Cold and Starve a Fever? Feeding Ill Children
When children are ill, part of the process of getting better includes the food that they eat....
Feeding Children During Cancer Treatment
As children go through cancer treatment, the drugs can change their needs for calories and other nutrients, as well as affecting their appetites. It is very important that they get the right foods, as...
Feeding Children on a Budget
When times are tough, food budgets can get squeezed, but it's not difficult to eat well (or perhaps even better) for less....
Food Group Proportions in a Balanced Diet
A balanced diet contains food from all five major food groups - meat, fish and other proteins; cereals, grains and other starchy foods; fruit and vegetables; dairy; and foods high in sugar or fat....
Food in Pregnancy: Effects on an Unborn Baby
Eating well in pregnancy (and even before) is very important as it provides the nutrients and energy that the growing baby needs....
Fresh or Frozen Food: Which is Best?
Both fresh and frozen food, especially fruit and vegetables, are now so easy to get hold of, but which is better - fresh or frozen?...
From Breast to Bottle
When mothers want to change over to bottle feeding after breastfeeding, perhaps when they return to work, there are techniques to make the transition easier....
Fun Facts: How Many Calories Does a Child Burn?
Children will put on weight if they take in more calories through food and drink than they burn though activity. Some children seem to be on the go all the time - how many calories are they burning u...
Fun Facts: How Many Calories...?
The number of calories that a child needs changes as they grow and their activity levels change. While strict calorie counting is not necessarily healthy, it is a good idea to know roughly how many ca...
Fun, Healthy Recipes
Children are often conservative eaters, but with a bit of imagination even the most basic kids’ staples can be dressed up into delicious, healthy meals....
Get Your Kids Cooking
Cooking with children teaches them independence, helps them learn about healthy eating, and is great fun. Even very young children can get involved....
Healthy Breakfast Colouring Sheet
It's important to have breakfast in the morning to give you energy for the rest of the day. This breakfast table is looking a bit pale though, can you colour in the picture of the healthy breakfast?...
Healthy Diet for Your Toddler
Toddlers need a healthy diet to give them energy and help them grow. Many toddlers are fussy about food, but provided they get a good balance of nutrients they will be fine. Most toddlers need to eat ...
Healthy Eating Tips for School
When children are not at home, it's hard to control what they eat, as snacks or as meals. While school lunches are much healthier than they used to be, some children and parents prefer packed lunches....
Healthy Eating to Avoid Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a serious disease, but in many cases it can be prevented through eating healthily, controlling weight and exercise....
Healthy Food Maze
Anita's favourite foods are fruit and vegetables. Can you help her through this maze avoiding all the unhealthy food and collecting all the healthy food on the way?...
Healthy Food Quiz
Think you know your healthy food? Test your knowledge here....
Healthy Fruit Shakes and Smoothies
Fruit shakes and smoothies are great ways to get some calcium and vitamins into children. They’re also much healthier, cheaper and tastier than most commercial drinks....
Healthy Packed Lunches
Packed lunches don’t have to be a sandwich and a bag of crisps. There are lots of delicious ideas parents can try to provide their children with a healthy, nutritious lunch every day....
Healthy Recipes to Cook with Kids
Cooking with children teaches them independence, helps them learn about healthy eating, and is great fun. A few healthy recipe suggestions will get the ball rolling....
Healthy Snacks for Kids
Children always seem to be hungry, and they are surrounded by unhealthy food options everywhere they go. There are lots of options for snacks for children that are healthy, fun, and easy to prepare a...
How Dangerous Are Food Allergies?
A food allergy happens when the body’s immune system mistakes proteins in food for infections and produces antibodies against them....
How Diet Can Boost Your Toddler's Immune System
You can improve your child’s immune system simply by choosing the right food. A strong immune system means a healthy child. It's simple to increase children's immunity to infection....
How Many Calories Does Your Child Need?
Children’s needs for calories change as they grow. Needs for calories can also change according to how active the child is, what size the child is, whether they are a boy or a girl, and whether they a...
How to Boost your Child's Brain Power
The relationship between food and health is no secret in today's modern society but food can also impact on how the brain function as well....
How to Tempt Your Teenager's Taste Buds
Teenagers are growing rapidly, and this should be supported by a balanced and varied diet. They are also gaining independence, and their food choices may be as much influenced by their friends and the...
How Will Tea and Coffee Affect a Young Child?
The role of caffeine and it's effects on children are not totally understood as the research is fairly limited but it is generally considered to be something best avoided, especially while the childre...
Hyperactivity and Diet
Some children appear to become hyperactive after eating certain foods. In many cases, cutting out food additives and sugar will result in calmer behaviour. But sometimes a natural food substance is th...
Iron Deficiency in Teenagers
Iron deficiency is a risk for teenagers as often their diet and lifestyle cause them to consume a smaller amount of the substance than they require. The growing body during these years also requires ...
Is My Child Obese?
Obesity affects increasing numbers of children in the UK. Obese children are prone to depression and are more likely to suffer from serious illness later in life. A programme of healthy eating and exe...
Is Organic Really Important?
According to the BBC, organic sales are down by 11% as a result of the recession. So, is feeding children organic food really important, or is it just a luxury?...
Is Your Child Obese?
Everyone is talking about child obesity, every day there are news reports about the obesity epidemic. A survey in the UK suggested that 25% boys and 33% of girls aged between two and 19 years were ov...
Kicking a Junk Food Habit
Children who have become addicted to junk food need help to eat more healthily. The whole family must buy into healthy eating if they are to succeed in kicking the junk food habit....
Kids and Breakfast: Why is it Important?
Breakfast is the first meal of the day, and it really is the most important one, because it feeds the brain and body, and supports better eating habits.
Encouraging children to eat breakfast can b...
Make Food Fun: Change Shapes, Colours and Taste
Some children will eat anything, and others just like one or two different tastes. Changing how food looks or tastes can make it more fun to eat, and might get even the fussiest child to try something...
Methods of Sterilising
As babies are born with underdeveloped immune systems it is necessary to sterilise their feeding equipment if bottle feeding is the chosen method of providing your baby with nutrition....
Milk Intolerance in Children
Milk intolerance is generally an inability to break down lactose, a sugar found in milk. It is not the same as milk allergy....
Mrs Apple's Fruit Stall Puzzle
Mrs Apple has lots of tasty fruit on her stall. Can you count up each type of fruit and write how many there are in each box? Then you can colour the fruit in!...
Nutrition and Allergies
Food allergies have to be dealt with carefully to ensure good nutrition is maintained. What to do if you think your child has a food allergy or intolerance....
Odd One Out Food Puzzle
Which one is the odd one out? A chocolate bar, a cucumber or a banana? Try and spot which foods in the picture are unhealthy, and put a circle round each one. Then you'll know which foods are the odd ...
Omega-3 Rich Foods and the Effect on the Body
Probably the most well known of the superfoods, omega-3 essential fatty acid is known to have several benefits on health....
Overweight or Obese Teens
Obesity affects increasing numbers of teenagers in the UK. Obese teenagers often have low self-esteem or feel depressed, and are more likely to suffer from serious illness later in life. A programme o...
Quick and Healthy Recipes For Kids to Eat
Fast food doesn’t have to be junk or convenience food. Ditch the ready meals in favour of fresh ingredients, and whip up some delicious recipes in less than half an hour....
Quiz: Picking Out the Healthy Choices
How easy is it to pick out a healthy choice? Score one point for every correct answer....
Salt and Children's Food
Eating too much salt is unhealthy for both children and adults. Children who eat higher levels of salt have higher blood pressure, and this can continue into adulthood, where it increases the risk of ...
Should I Worry About My Child's School Dinners?
In the past, school dinners have tended to be unimaginative and unhealthy. However, things are changing for the better. Parents can help their children make healthy choices from the menu, or send them...
Some More Tasty Lunchbox Ideas
Some inspiration for lunchboxes that contain something other than a jam sandwich...
Superfoods on a Budget
Planning your meals for the week when you work and are on a tight budget can be a daunting event in many households but by planning your meals carefully and taking advantage of supermarket offers it i...
The Art of Successful Breast Feeding
Breast feeding should be an enjoyable experience so make sure you know exactly what to expect and how to make it everything you hoped it would be....
The Breast vs. Bottle Debate
Breast feeding and bottle feeding each have their own benefits and disadvantages and by knowing a bit about these, you can make a more informed decision of how you are going to feed your baby....
The Correct Food Portion Sizes for Kids
How much food should your child be eating and what are appropriate portion sizes?...
The Effects of Caffeine
If you want reduce the amount of caffeine taken by your kids, first cut out the cola and similar soft drinks. Too much caffeine in your child's diet can disturb sleep and affect concentration and lear...
The Hidden Benefits of Berries
They are sweet, they look beautiful, they can be grown at home and they are versatile so there is no excuse why we shouldn't be trying to increase the amount of berries in our diet....
The Myth of Superfoods
So-called superfoods are foods that are supposed to have particular health-giving properties based on their high levels of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients, such as phytochemicals. Are superfood...
Under-Age Drinking
Binge drinking and under-age drinking are serious issues for young people today. Parents should discuss alcohol with their children and set a good example at home through their own sensible drinking h...
Vegetable Gardening with Kids
Kids often say they hate vegetables, but if they grow their own, the chances are they’ll change their minds. You don’t need a garden to grow vegetables successfully – containers work just as well....
Vegetarianism and Growing Kids
Vegetarianism is a major lifestyle choice, particularly when growing children are involved. This article offers basic answers to some frequently asked questions about vegetarianism and children....
Vital Vitamins for a Child
Making sure that children get enough of each vitamin can be tricky from food alone. This article offers parents information on vital vitamins for kids and discusses multivitamins for children....
What are Superfoods?
The term superfood is used to describe the types of food that are extremely beneficial to health. Food experts however are now concerned that the term is over used, misleads the public and is exploite...
When and How to Wean Your Baby
Weaning is the process of introducing babies to solid food. It starts at about six months. Weaning is best taken gradually. Milk will continue to form a major part of the baby’s diet....
When is the Best Time to Start Weaning?
Weaning your baby should be an exciting time and a milestone in your baby's young life, but judging when to do it can be tricky....
When Your Child is Diagnosed With a Failure To Thrive
Failure to thrive is a term given to those children who do not gain adequate nutritional content for either a physical, psychological or social reason. It is not an actual illness per se but a term us...
Which is Better: School Meal or Packed Lunch?
According to the School Food Trust and the Local Authority Caterers Association (LACA), take-up of healthy school meals has increased in primary and secondary schools. So which is better, school meal ...
Why Buy Baby Food? Tips to Make Your Own
Baby food in tins, jars and packets is convenient, but it can work out rather expensive. Making your own baby food is a lot cheaper, and with a little planning, won’t take up too much time....
Why is Breakfast Important?
Breakfast is important, but it seems to be the meal that is most often overlooked....
Why It's Good to Eat as a Family
Eating at different times and in different rooms is becoming more common, as families’ lives get busier. Supper is more likely to be in front of the television or the computer, rather than round the t...
Your Toddler's Nutritional Needs
Toddlers need a healthy diet to give them energy and help them grow. Many toddlers are fussy about food, but provided they get a good balance of nutrients they should be fine....