The Wiggles: Social Distancing

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What is healthy eating and why is it important?

Eating right is one of the fundamentals for healthy living. Food gives us the sustenance to live a long and healthy life. It also provides us with the nutrients essential for good health, growth and development.

But sometimes we all lose our way. Before we know it those 'sometimes foods' start making a daily appearance.

The important thing to remember, according to Sydney Local Health District's Early Childhood Dietitian, Kalliope Polyronis, is that we can make changes to ensure we're eating the right foods for our health and the health of our family.

"A nutritionally balanced diet is important for optimal growth, development and wellbeing," Kalliope Polyronis says.

"Children have unique nutritional needs. Not only must they meet their requirements for daily activities but they must also meet their special needs for growth and development. Poor nutrition in childhood is difficult to make up for later in life," she says.

"I see children with a wide range of nutrition issues. This includes children who are underweight, who have limited food exposure and those who are overweight or obese."

The mum-of-three loves talking all things food and dispelling the myths that we sometimes hear about nutrition.

"To me, being healthy is about eating a variety of food every day, trying to exercise most days of the week and minimising stress where possible," Mrs Polyronis says.

"The long term benefits of being healthy are priceless. It’s important to make it a priority and plan it into our busy lives. Once it becomes part of your routine, it's easier to continue and feel better."

Eating foods from all the core food groups (as outlined in the Australian Dietary Guidelines), in suitable quantities, will help you hit those optimal growth, development and wellbeing goals for the whole family.

Core food groups:

Vegetables
Fruit
Grains and cereals
Lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, legumes, nuts and seeds
Dairy and dairy alternatives

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Good nutrition makes a big difference to your overall health.

“Making good nutrition a focus is a great way to help your kids to make the right choices in the future,” says Mrs Polyronis.

“Good ways to do this including involving children with meal planning and preparation. Be adventurous, show your kids how to eat new foods by eating with them. But just as important, make mealtimes fun and enjoyable,” she says.

Tips for meals and snacks:

Offer your toddler chopped up family food.
Let your toddler feed themselves using their hands, spoon or fork.
Have family meals - toddlers eat better with a supportive adult sitting at the table.
Provide regular meals and snacks - toddlers have small stomachs and need to be offered food every two to three hours.
Remember children do better with regular meal and snack times instead of grazing throughout the day - offer water for thirst and reassure your child that a meal or snack will be coming soon.
Try to offer nutritious choices at all meals and snacks - this reduces the pressure that children must eat at any one meal or snack.

Tips for incorporating more fruit and vegetables into your kids' lives

Offer small amounts of vegetables at each meal and snack time.
Add grated vegetables to meals e.g. in Bolognaise, pastas, risottos, fritters, muffins etc.
Team vegetables with a dip, or fruit with yoghurt.
Be creative - your child may need to be exposed to a new food up to 20 times.

What about fussy eaters?

You decide what food is on offer for meals and snacks and let your child decide how much to eat and whether they will eat.
Try not to pressure or force your toddler to try new foods.
Continue to offer refused foods at family meals.
Provide new foods regularly - offer a new or disliked food with a liked food.
Present food in a form that’s easy for your child to eat.
Keep meal times pleasant - avoid making an issue out of your child’s eating.