Choosing good food

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Nutritious foods include vegetables; legumes such as peas, lentils and beans; fruits; grains such as breads, rice and noodles; lean meat; fish; poultry and dairy products.

• Compounds in fresh fruit and vegetables help protect the body against all kinds of diseases, including cancer. Fruits and vegetables are also full of fibre (which help your digestive system work better) and water.
• Most cuisines rely on grains (such as rice and pasta). They provide an important energy source to the body and wholegrains provide additional essential nutrients like fibre and magnesium. Grains with a low glycaemic index give the body slow-release energy, which is why cereals like breads and pasta are the main component of a child’s diet. Read the Choice article to find out more about glycaemic index.
• Lean meats, fish, poultry and alternatives such as eggs supply vital iron, zinc and vitamin B12 as well as protein – these are things children need to grow. Red meats are an especially valuable source of iron, zinc and B12, while fish is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which help the brain to develop.
• Dairy is high in calcium, which builds strong bones.

As long as your child is eating a variety of nutritious foods, it’s likely he won’t be missing out on any important vitamins or minerals. It also makes it less likely he’ll be eating harmful amounts of anything: fish, for example, can contain traces of pollutants like mercury that are dangerous in large doses.

It's easier for your child to make good food choices if you offer him a healthy assortment of food from an early age. One way to encourage variety, add interest and expand the range of nutrients in your child’s diet is for your family to try foods from different cultures and with different ingredients.

Because children require many different nutrients for healthy growth and development, a vegan diet that is suitable for adults may not be nutritious enough for the growing bodies of infants and children. You will need to compensate for the lack of vitamins, such as vitamin B12 which is essential for brain development and can only be found in animal products. A vegetarian diet that includes dairy and eggs is fine for most children.

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