Kids Healthy Eating for Kids 2 - 5 Years

Teaching Healthy Eating for Kids 2 to 5 Years

Disclaimer: The following is for information only, and if there are any concerns about the health of children, it is advised to seek the advice of a medical professional. 

Fast food has become a huge part of modern life these days, making it very hard to teach a child how to eat healthily. The easiest to prepare foods are those that are normally the least healthy. If you give your child the choice between healthy food and junk food, you would probably not be surprised to find that your child would prefer chips to a spoonful of mashed potatoes.  

Even though it isn't possible to get a child to like all healthy foods, there are some ways to persuade a child to try, and hopefully like at least some of them. Being creative when the child is leaving their baby food behind can make a difference. For example, making a face with mashed potatoes, peas for the eyes, carrots for the nose, and gravy for the hair brings a bit of fun into it.

Young children do not understand the benefits of fruit and vegetables; they only see, for example, a cake or bar of chocolate as something nice to eat.  There is nothing wrong with a few squares of chocolate or a small cake, but they should never replace a healthy meal or snack, or be part of everyday food.   

When the child becomes old enough, get them involved in preparing the meals, and have some fun times around the preparation worktop.

Eating junk food all the time will make a child overweight, lethargic, and eventually could lead to depression. Their health will most definitely suffer, and this will have an impact on their life as they grow towards adulthood.  

There is no reason to deny a child sweets, a biscuit, or a packet of crisps, provided it's not several times a day. Encourage them to eat fruit in between meals, and drink water or healthy fruit juices, rather than fizzy drinks, which will damage their teeth.

Eating sensibly from the very start is the way forward. Encouragement and patience for the more finicky child will pay off in the long run; being firm about sweet fare and junk foods must be set in stone from the very beginning.

If you feel your child has an eating problem, seek medical advice, because there could be a food intolerance, like dairy, or a gluten intolerance, such as coeliac disease. Of course, coeliac disease will not become apparent until the child starts to eat solid food.  

Here is a guide for approximate suggested amounts of nutrition for 2 - 5 years:

Note:  Most of the fats should come from healthy sources.  

It is worth remembering that sometimes even nutrition has to be tweaked.  For example, some 2 to 3-year-olds may be much more active than others, and therefore they will burn more calories.  This is the same for adults, where some people are very active and some are only moderately active.  It is a matter of adjusting the amounts of food. Sometimes it may be best to seek the advice of a health professional for advice if unsure.  

Foods usually have nutrition labels on the front of the packets as a guide.