If you have a school age child in your home, September is a busy month of new routines. Planning lunches and meals around new schedules can be a challenging task.

Even if your child is not school age, feeding them a healthy diet is important. This month, let’s look at tips to keep your child’s diet healthy.

The prevalence of fast food outlets in most neighbourhoods makes it so easy to“drive through” when you are pressed for time. Too much fast food can help to destroy a child’s health and well-being. It has been proven that a child’s food preferences and food intake patterns may be shaped largely by foods parents choose.

It’s best to start early, offering your toddler lots of different types of foods and letting them see you enjoying the same foods, especially fruits and vegetables. Most infants consume plenty of fruits and vegetables by eating pureed baby food. When solid food is introduced, if the parents rarely eat fruits and vegetables then it should be no surprise that the child won’t either. Persistence in presenting new foods is important. Give them repeated opportunities to try new foods. A new food may have to be presented 4-6 times before your the child will try it.

Studies have shown that the number of foods children like does not change much from the age of two or three to age eight and that new foods are more accepted at age two to four than at age four to eight.

If you are the parent of a picky eater, there are strategies to help ensure your child eats a healthy balanced diet. Try the following:

1. Make sure your child doesn’t snack close to meals.

2. Make sweets conditional on trying new foods.

3. Allow children to help themselves from food in the center of the table during meals. What they choose, they must eat.

4. Have your child help with creating menus, shopping and preparing food. They are more apt to try if they are part of the decision making process.

5. In the summer, try to get your child interested in gardening. They may become more interested in fruits and vegetables if they can watch them grow and are harvested. If you don’t have a garden then take your child to a “pick your own” farm.

6. Focus on sweeter natural foods like strawberries, mandarin oranges, cherries, tomatoes, sweet corn.

7. Add finely chopped fruits to jello and serve vegetables such as baby carrots with a Summerfresh dip or fresh fruit with yogurt as a dip.

8. Find foods that your child likes to eat like smoothies, muffins, yogurt etc. and add fruits or vegetables to them, like banana or zucchini.

9. Make a snack mix with raisins, nuts and cereal.

10. Camouflage vegetables by pureeing or chopping in pasta sauces, lasagna, casseroles, soup, chili, omelets, pizza toppings etc.

11. Consider speaking to your doctor about vitamin supplements for your child.

More healthy eating tips for children include:

1. Make food fun, enjoy food. Make meals a happy, pleasant family time. Let children sort foods into colours and have fun identifying new foods.

2. Breakfast is very important. Breakfast is like putting gas in your car. It helps to fuel the body and mind after an overnight fast. Breakfast should consist of a carbohydrate and protein, such as an egg with a piece of whole grain toast.

3. Eat a wide variety of foods each day. If your child is a picky eater, this could be a challenge. The human body requires over 40 different kinds of minerals and vitamins each day for good health. Most of these vitamins and minerals come from fruits and vegetables. A child should have a minimum of 5 servings/day. Fruit smoothies are a great option.

4. Vegetables such as sweet potato, beets, peas, corn and beans are excellent sources of complex carbohydrates. Carbohydrates provide energy. Include protein such chicken, turkey, lean beef, pork and eggs in your child’s diet.

5. Be aware of foods with high amounts of saturated fats such as butter, spreads, fried meats, sausages, pies and most commercial baked goods and snacks. These foods should be consumed in limited quantities.

6. Hydration is very important. High activity levels and hot days make fluid requirements even greater. The best thirst quencher is water. Stay away of sugary sports drinks, sodas and fruit juices as they are all loaded with sugar.

7. Get your child moving. Physical activity is very important for a healthy heart and strong bones. Introduce them to fun activities like skipping, hopscotch etc. Even walking to school and climbing stairs can be considered as activity.

8. Children need to snack. Make sure healthy choices are available for them such as Summerfresh Nickelodean 4pk Mini Dippers. Dora Mini Dippers are available two varieties, Original and Vegetable Hummus. Sponge Bob Dippers are available in Roasted Garlic and Vegetable Hummus.
For the older child these convenient four packs are available in Roasted Garlic, Original and Roasted Red Pepper Hummus. Summerfresh Dippers are 100 calories or less, are gluten free, lactose free and are suitable for vegetarians. They are ideal for school lunches and snacks combined with fresh raw vegetables or apples. Look for Summerfresh Dippers in the prepared food section or snack food counter at your local grocer.