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- NEW Top Tips: Top Tips for a Healthy BBQ!
- NEW Family Friendly Fact Sheet: Food Safety and Hygiene
- NEW and delicious recipes include: Yoghurt on the Go, Simple Cous Cous Salads, Summer Pasta dishes and Fruit Crumble Bites!
Key Nutrients for Kids
The diet of school children needs to provide enough energy for growth and development, and key nutrients include iron, calcium and a range of vitamins and minerals.
Iron
Iron in our body helps to keep red blood cells healthy and enables oxygen to be carried effectively and efficiently around our bodies.
Studies show us that iron is particularly lacking in our children’s diets, especially in girls. A lack of iron can lead to iron-deficiency anaemia which can cause symptoms such as tiredness, fatigue, low concentration and diminished educational attainment. It is vital therefore that you ensure your child has plenty of iron in their diet.
Iron comes in two forms. The best form of iron is found in meat and fish, particularly red meat. This form of iron is easily absorbed by the body.
The second form of iron is found in plant foods such as green vegetables and bread. This sort of iron is not as easily absorbed by the body. However vitamin C rich foods (e.g. fruit juice, kiwi fruit, tomatoes) can help increase absorption so it’s a good idea to include some of these at each meal.
For example, a small glass of orange juice at breakfast will help make the most of the iron in the cereal or toast. This is particularly important for vegetarian kids.
It should also be noted that tea and coffee reduce iron absorption and these should not be offered to children, particularly at meal times.
Iron information
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Many breakfast cereals are fortified with iron – make sure your child starts the day with a big bowlful!
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Giving your child a small glass of fresh orange juice with their cereal in the morning will ensure they absorb more of the iron from their cereal
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Stay away from tea and coffee as these will reduce the iron absorption of a meal
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Maximise iron intakes by ensuring your child is offered their two portions of meat or fish per day. Good sources include canned sardines, pilchards, mackerel, tuna, lean beef, lamb, pork, chicken and turkey.
Calcium
Calcium is essential in children’s diets for building strong bones and teeth.
By building strong bones when we are young helps to protect against having weak and fragile bones when we get older. By making sure your child has dairy products three times a day you will be ensuring that they have sufficient calcium in their diet.
These dairy products include milk, cheese and yoghurts. Ideally your child should be drinking around one pint of semi-skimmed milk a day.
Calcium can-do
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Start the day off right with an iron-enriched cereal drowning in ice cold semi-skimmed milk
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Children love yoghurts for dessert or as a snack. But beware the added sugars and artificial sweeteners in many varieties. You should also be aware that fromage frais tends to be higher in fat and lower in calcium than standard yoghurts – check out the food labels and compare.
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Sliced apple, a handful of grapes and a piece of cheese make for a healthy but fulfilling snack. But make sure you use a real cheese – not a processed one, healthy ideas include Cheddar or Edam.
Vitamins and minerals
Vitamins and minerals do a wide range of enormously important jobs all around the body, keeping us fit and healthy.
To ensure that your child gets all the vitamins and minerals they need you should make sure that they are eating at least 5 different fruits and vegetables daily.
If you make one change to your child’s diet it should be to increase their intake of fruits and vegetables.
For more ideas on how to get five portions into your child’s diet see our suggestions in the top tips and activities section of the site.