Food and nutrition
Key information on this page includes:
Healthy eating
Once your child is over 3 years old, they will begin to to want to try out a larger amount of new foods. Introducing new textures, tastes and food types by mixing them with familiar foods is very important in developing their taste-buds and keeping them well-nourished.
As your child will be continuing to grow, there are lots of foods that support their growth while keeping them healthy. Fibre-rich foods like the ones below are a great store of energy:
- Wholemeal toast.
- Wholegrain cereals.
- Porridge oats or nuts.
These foods can be given with slices of fruit to give them sweetness (strawberries, apples and bananas are good places to start). Meals for lunchtime or breakfast should be filling and nutritious and provide enough energy to last the afternoon - eating too much or a meal that is high in fast-releasing carbohydrates or sugar can make children feel tired or give them a stomach ache. Choose foods for your child's meals that will keep them full as well as being healthy.
5 a day
Fruit and vegetables are a great source of vitamins, minerals and fibre, and an important part of a balanced diet for children and adults.
Eating plenty of fruit and vegetables helps keep us healthy, and may reduce the risk of disease and some cancers.
Healthier food swaps
Making simple food swaps can help cut down on sugar, salt and fat in your and your family's diet. Even just one or two everyday swaps can really make a difference and go a long way to making every day healthier - but the more swaps you make, the better!
Healthy start scheme
The healthy start scheme is a way for new parents or parents to-be to save some money on their shopping bill, when they buy healthy food to support with their child's growth. When you register for the scheme, you will receive a card containing the money to save on your shopping bill.
If you meet the criteria, you will be eligible for:
- £4.25 each week of your pregnancy (from the 10th week of your pregnancy).
- £8.50 each week for children from birth to 1 year old.
- £4.25 each week for children between 1 and 4 years old.
The scheme also gives you free access to vitamins for both the mother and child. Mothers can get them from 10 weeks of conception until 1 year after birth, if they are breastfeeding.
Children can have vitamin drops to use in their food until they are 4 years old. The vitamins that are provided can be provided by a health professional (a midwife, GP or health visitor) or from Family Hubs.
You can apply for the healthy start scheme here: Apply for healthy start.
Cooking
As your child gets older, there are lots of different meals you can cook for you both to enjoy. You can try to cook different types of meats, or vegetables with strong tastes.
Dairy products such as cheese, or full-fat cows' milk and yoghurts are great for helping your child's bones to grow and strengthen.
Beans, pulses, fish, eggs, food made from pulses (like tofu, hummus, and soya mince), as well as meat, are great sources of protein and iron. Aim to give your child two servings of protein from vegetable sources (such as beans, chickpeas, lentils, and tofu) or one serving from animal sources (like meat, fish and eggs) every day. nuts are also rich in protein, but avoid giving whole nuts, including peanuts, to children under 5 to prevent choking.
Events and activities we run
The "Big Cup" event - free group run by the Alice Charity!
The bread and butter thing - save money on your shopping (while providing healthy foods through the scheme) and meet other families.
Key links
- Nutrition for 5-13 year olds - Helpful guide to the best foods for your growing child.
- What to feed young children - Information about the nutrients that certain foods gives your child and what to avoid.
- Family hubs - Facebook - Our Family Hubs facebook page which contains information about all the events we hold and who we work with.