What is healthy eating?

Healthy eating refers to a dietary pattern that provides enough nutrients to support your child's growth and development.

Healthy eating provides essential nutrients such as:

• vitamins
• minerals
• fibre
• protein
• carbohydrates

Your child can get the nutrients they need by eating a wide variety of foods from the 5 food groups, which are:

• vegetables, legumes and beans
• fruit
• grains and cereals
• lean meat, poultry, fish and meat alternatives
• milk, cheese, yoghurt and dairy alternatives

Vegetables, legumes and beans

Vegetables, legumes and beans contain important vitamins and minerals such as:

• magnesium
• vitamin C
• folate

They also provide fibre and protein.

These foods come from many different parts of plants, including the:

• leaves
• roots
• flowers
• shoots

Legumes and beans are the seeds of plants, such as green peas and lentils.

Fruit

Most fruits are high in fibre and water. This helps you to feel full and avoid overeating.

Fruit also provides important vitamins and minerals such as:

• vitamin C
• vitamin E
• vitamin A
• potassium
• magnesium
• folate

Grains and cereals

Grains and cereals are mostly made from:

• wheat
• oats
• rice
• rye
• quinoa
• corn
• barley

Grains provide your child with:

• carbohydrates
• protein
• folate
• zinc

Grains also contain fibre which supports your child's digestive system and helps prevent constipation.

It's best to choose wholegrain or high-fibre varieties of grain-based foods.

Lean meat, fish, poultry and meat alternatives

Foods that provide protein include:

• lean meat such as beef and pork
• fish and other seafood
• chicken or turkey
• eggs
• legumes and beans
• tofu
• nuts and seeds

Protein is important for brain, nerve and muscle development.

As well as protein, these foods provide:

• iron
• zinc
• vitamin B12
• omega-3 fatty acids

Milk, cheese, yoghurt and dairy alternatives

Dairy foods include:

• milk
• cheese
• yoghurt

These foods, as well as non-dairy alternatives, provide:

• calcium
• protein
• iodine
• vitamin A
• vitamin D
• vitamin B12

Reduced-fat dairy is recommended for children over 2 years of age.

How much should my child eat?

The amount your child needs from each of the 5 food groups depends on their age.

The Australian Government dietary guidelines have a list of how many serves of each food group to aim for.

Find out how much is in a serving on the Healthy Eating for Children poster.

Recommended number of serves per day.

	2-3 years	4-8 years	9-11 years	12-13 years	14-18 years
Fruit	1 serve	1½ serves	2 serves	2 serves	2 serves
Vegetables	2½ serves	4½ serves	5 serves	5-5½ serves	5-5½ serves
Grains and Cereals	4 serves	4 serves	4-5 serves	5-6 serves	7 serves
Lean meats, fish, poultry, egg, tofu, nuts and seeds, and beans/legumes	1 serve	1½ serves	2½ serves	2½ serves	2½ serves
Dairy	1½ serves	1½-2 serves	2½-3 serves	3½ serves	3½ serves

Read more about how much food your child needs each day.

A high energy and high protein diet might be recommended if your child has been sick or if they are underweight.

What is a healthy drink?

Babies under 6 months of age only need breast milk or infant formula.

From 6 months of age your baby can start having small amounts of water in addition to breastmilk or formula.

From 12 months of age, you can introduce cow's milk or fortified milk alternatives such as soy milk or rice milk as a drink. Full-fat milk is better than low-fat milk until your child is 2 years of age.

How much should my child drink?

Aim for about 4 cups of fluids per day for children aged 1 to 3 years. This includes water, milk and other drinks.

Children aged 4 to 8 years should drink about 5 cups of fluids a day.

This amount should be increased in hot weather or if children are unwell with a fever, vomiting or diarrhoea.

Drinks to limit

The best drinks for children aged over 12 months are water and milk.

Many other drinks have added sugar or are acidic. If you have sweet or acidic drinks regularly it can lead to tooth decay.

For children it's important to limit or avoid drinks such as:

• fruit juice or fruit juice drinks
• flavoured or carbonated (fizzy) water
• soft drinks
• sports drinks

What foods should I avoid?

Many discretionary foods are also highly processed and contain high amounts of salt, saturated fat and added sugar.

These foods are not essential for your child's nutrition. They are often called junk food because they are low in nutrients. They are also called 'sometimes foods' because they should be saved for special occasions.

Eating a lot of sweetened or fatty foods increases the risk of excess weight gain. Excess weight can lead to childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes as an adult.

Foods with added sugar

Processed foods that contain added sugar include:

• cake
• chocolate
• ice-cream
• lollies
• pastries
• soft drinks, fruit juice drinks and cordials

Foods with added salt

Many processed foods contain added salt, such as:

• pies
• sausage rolls
• hot dogs
• chicken nuggets
• savoury snacks
• crackers

Read food labels to help you avoid high sodium foods.

Foods high in saturated fats

Eating foods with too much saturated fat can increase your risk of having high cholesterol.

Some products high in saturated fat include:

• snack foods, such as potato chips and savoury crackers
• fried foods, such as hot chips and chicken nuggets
• takeaway pizza
• processed meats, such as devon and salami
• cream and butter

Healthier options are:

• a reduced fat spread from healthy fats for sandwiches, instead of butter
• canola or olive oil for cooking, instead of animal fats

How can I help my child have a healthy diet?

By planning ahead, you can give your child a diet based on healthy foods. This will help them develop good food habits.

Have a healthy shopping list

Writing a shopping list is a useful way to plan your meals. The list can remind you to buy mainly healthy foods.

If your family knows what meals are planned, it can help them avoid the temptation of junk foods and takeaway when the day gets busy.

Some things to put on your shopping list include:

• eggs, low-fat or skim milk, yoghurt, low-fat cheese
• fresh or frozen fruit
• fresh, frozen or low-salt canned vegetables
• fresh or frozen lean meats
• fresh, frozen or canned fish
• low-sugar, high-fibre cereals
• wholemeal bread, rice (brown is best), pasta and other whole grains

Have a healthy breakfast

Healthy breakfast ideas include:

• boiled egg and toast
• cereal with fruit and yoghurt
• oatmeal (porridge) made with milk
• scrambled eggs on toast
• cottage cheese and sliced tomato on wholegrain toast
• smoothie made with milk, yoghurt and fruit

Have a healthy dinner

You can make preparing healthy dinners easier by:

• keeping meals simple
• preparing in advance, such as marinating or thawing meat
• using a slow cooker to put together a soup or stew in the morning

You can find meal plan suggestions at Cooking for Children and Eat for Health.

Include fruits and vegetables

Most children don't eat enough fruits or vegetables. Try to encourage your child to eat more fruits and vegetables by:

• keeping a bowl of fresh fruit on the counter
• putting baby carrots and cucumbers in the fridge for snack time
• offering your child vegetables to dip in hummus or Greek yoghurt
• making vegetable soups and colourful salads
• using a variety of different vegetables in your meals

Limit unhealthy foods and drinks

Avoid buying a lot of:

• processed baked goods, including pies, nuggets and sausage rolls
• high-fat, high-sugar snacks like chips and lollies, sweet biscuits
• soft drinks
• sugary fruit drinks and cordials

Children who get used to having junk foods available will often choose them over healthy snacks.

Offer a variety of healthy snacks

Eating healthy snacks can help your child meet their daily nutrition needs.

It's a good idea to keep a variety of healthy snacks in your home, such as:

• chopped or whole fruit
• homemade muffins or muesli bars that are low in sugar and salt
• popcorn, rice crackers and nuts
• unsweetened yoghurt with chopped fruits
• vegetable sticks with healthy dips such as hummus or peanut butter
• cereal that is low in sugar and high in fibre

Make food fun

Teach your child to enjoy a healthy diet by making mealtimes fun and interesting. You can:

• cut sandwiches, fruit and vegetables into interesting shapes
• eat with your children and chat around the dinner table
• encourage them to try new foods and recipes
• teach children about where food comes from
• use a variety of coloured vegetables and fruits in meals

When trying new foods, children may react to new textures and flavours. Many kids won't try a new food until it has been offered many times. Continue to offer a variety of food but try not to become frustrated or force them to eat when they don't want to.

Involve your child

Including your child when you plan, cook and serve food may make them feel more excited about healthy eating. Let your child:

• control the amount of food they eat — let them serve themselves or clear their own plate
• help write the shopping list
• help with shopping, cooking and preparing foods, as appropriate for their age
• make up new food combinations

Try serving smaller portions at mealtimes. Encourage your child to ask for more if they are still hungry.

Food intolerances and allergies

Some children have allergies or intolerances to certain foods, such as:

• dairy
• eggs
• nuts
• seafood

If you think your child has an intolerance or allergy, see your doctor or a dietitian. They can advise you on how to manage your child's allergy so they don't miss out on any key nutrients.

What should I do if my child is overweight?

Children can become overweight from:

• drinking too much soft drink or juice
• eating too many high-calorie snacks and fast foods
• not exercising enough

If you are concerned about your child's weight, speak to your doctor or find an Accredited Practising Dietitian on the Dietitians Australia website.

Children are not usually given calorie-restricted diets because it can affect normal growth. Instead, it's usually better to focus on slowing their weight gain and allowing their height catch up.

Along with healthy eating, you should encourage your child to be physically active every day.

Resources and support

The Eat for Health page offers information on:

• grains and cereal foods
• milk, yoghurt and other dairy foods
• vegetables and legumes
• lean meat, fish and poultry
• water intake

Languages other than English

The KidsHealth page offers a fact sheet on healthy eating for children, in multiple languages.

The New South Wales Government has an Australian Guide to Healthy Eating in languages other than English.