Thrive Highland

Portion sizes vary from age to age, so it is best to be guided by the child’s appetite. Specifying an exact portion size for a child is not necessarily helpful, because children’s appetites do vary. However, it can be helpful to have some kind of guide of where to start. The resources below will help to explain how appropriate portion sizes are linked to the growth and development of a child. With this as a starting point, Parents/Carers should be encouraged to support children to become competent eaters. A child who is a competent eater can eat the food they need in the right quantity, with an ability to tune into senses of hunger and fullness. Competent eaters have better nutrition and are more satisfied with what they weigh. They are also healthier emotionally and socially (Ellyn Satter Institute 2023).

It is often useful to focus in a positive way on the foods to eat more of, rather than the focus being around limiting portion sizes of other foods. Competent eating supports children who have a high BMI, who may have lost the ability to respond to internal cues of hunger and fullness, to manage their weight over time.

A child who eats a wide variety of food is more likely to meet their nutritional needs. The parent/carer is encouraged to provide a child with ‘everyday foods’ based on the four food groups (Dairy, Fruit and Vegetables, Protein, Carbohydrates). The ‘Highland Food Guide – Everyday Eating’ provides a visual assessment to discuss everyday foods. If any of the four groups are missing from the ‘everyday foods’ or not regularly consumed, then this can be an area for further discussion. Avoid labelling foods as ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Instead distinguish between them by saying one is a food to eat more of or less of; or use ‘everyday foods’ and ‘sometimes foods’. Also avoid referring to highly processed or sugary foods as a ‘treat’ as children may place extra value of them. Instead refer to them as those ‘sometimes’ foods which they get to have on occasion but not every day.

Further information on portion size

Top Tips to shop for less

If you order a takeaway you could cook rice or noodles at home to
reduce how much you order

Plan meals in advance and make a list.

Smaller packaged items may cost more per 100g, compare the
price of a larger packet.

Loose fruit and vegetables can often be better value than
packaged.

Check different brands; cheaper does not necessarily mean less
nutritious.

Fruit and vegetables that are in season are often cheaper.

Tinned or frozen, fruit, vegetables and meat are good options to
consider.

Top Tips to Eat for Less

Add canned beans or lentils to recipes to use less meat.

Choose options such as stewing beef, chicken on the bone and
turkey.

Cook in bulk and freeze portions for another day.

Portion up items such as bread and rolls and freeze them to make
them last longer.

Use your leftover for lunches or sandwich filler.

Make smoothies and soups instead of throwing fruit and
vegetables away.

Perceptions of body image start in the early years and are shaped by the environment, peers and family, the media, society, and biological predisposition. Promoting a healthy body image will promote body confidence for every child no matter what age, body shape, size and appearance (Knightsmith, 2015)

For more information on how to talk to your chid about weight, click the boxes below.