How We eat
The eating environment
There are many benefits attached to the eating environment and sharing meals together. When they
can, parents/carers should provide an environment for eating well in a non-distracting environment.
Distinct mealtimes throughout the day and ensuring children have regular meals including breakfast
will help young children to develop healthy eating habits and lifelong skills for young children.
Young children should never be alone while eating, they should be encouraged to sit down, and chew
food properly. Some food may need additional preparation particularly for very young children like
chopping and slicing some fruits, removing stones and avoiding nuts
Top Tips
- Focus on making ‘everyday’ food available.
- Lead by example and model the enjoyment of ‘everyday’ food.
- Eat meals as a family when you can.
- Encourage an active lifestyle by enjoying activities together with your child.
- Encourage your child to eat when they are hungry and stop when they are full.
- Comfort children with attention, listening and hugs instead of food.
- Create a non distracting environment, separate eating from other activities
- Enjoy balanced meals and a varied diet
Portion Size
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.
