Why is Good Nutrition Important for Kids

A balanced and healthy diet full of nutritional value will contribute to your child's quality of life and set them up for a healthier adulthood.

Appropriate nutrition will also support your child's developing body and mind, as well as help develop good habits they will take into their adulthood.

As parents, we wish our children to be healthy and avoid sickness as much as possible. That's where proper nutrition comes in with so many benefits. Receiving a balanced diet and good nutrients also help kids with their focus at school, which is so important.

Good nutrition also supports the critical process of brain development. Poor nutrition increases the risk of diseases like asthma, obesity, heart disease, memory loss and others later in life.

As adults, we know how certain foods can affect us. So you can imagine what it can do to a developing and growing body. Some food, like excessive amounts of processed sugar, can dramatically affect a child.

Healthy nutrition and a balanced diet give kids good energy levels and strength to get through the busy school days and help them deal with challenging situations.
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Parents have many responsibilities to bring up healthy and happy kids. Good nutrition should be on top of parents' lists to ensure their kids grow up healthy individuals and avoid unnecessary illnesses later in life.

Summary: Benefits of Good Nutrition
● Healthy brain development
● Stabilised mood and energy
● Decreases the risk of serious diseases later in life
● Creates healthy eating habits
● Healthy weight maintenance

Life with children can be hectic, and sometimes we often settle for quick meals that might not be fully nutritious. Here we have compiled a few tips on ensuring your child receives good nutrition.

Nutrition Tips
● Make breakfast one of the most important meals of the day and get the kids to have a big healthy breakfast like eggs on toast or wholegrain toast with peanut butter each day.
● Educate your kids about nutrition, what it means, what foods are right, and what foods aren't for a healthy body and mind.
● Show them what good nutrition looks like in your example. Don't tell kids to eat a healthy meal only to sit down and eat an unhealthy meal in front of them yourself. Be the role model!
● Make healthy food fun. Get kids involved in creating meals, teach them what foods go with what foods, and create fun-looking meals together - like creating a face with pieces of fruit on top of porridge.
● Make a home garden and plant veggies, herbs and fruit. Get kids involved in planting. It is very satisfying for them to watch their work grow and eat it once ready.
● Limit processed sugar. If you want to make a switch to more healthy foods, don't go crazy with stopping sugar entirely overnight. Instead, reduce it and include more natural sugar like fruit or stevia to replace it.
● Don't put too much pressure on yourself or your kids. We all have those days when we feel like eating a huge piece of cake or two. Don't feel bad or pressured into making nutrition a massive focus in your life. It needs to be a natural part of your life and not something stressful. Each family is different, so make sure it works for your family in your own special way.
● Start healthy habits like a fruit bowl on the kitchen desk with lots of options for children to choose as their snacks or desserts.
● Educate yourself about various foods and what is right and wrong for your body, so you can understand well about things like fats or sugars and lead by example.
● Have fun with it. Try making your usual home meals more exciting or healthy. Add garnishes to meals to look like faces or animals, or create a dessert without any processed sugar (using stevia, for example). Don't tell your family members to see if they notice the difference.