Have you ever seen posters encouraging you to eat
more healthily? Or heard that children in the UK
are increasingly overweight? In this section, we look
at what is meant by healthy eating and the advice
and legal requirements that early years settings
have to follow
Do you remember adults telling you to eat up
your greens? You might have wondered what all
the fuss was about. In this section, we look at the importance of a balanced diet for children of all ages,
including weaning babies and why it is important to
make sure that children are given fruit and vegetables.
Have you ever heard of rickets? Rickets is a bone
disease that used to be quite rare but has come
back because of a lack of vitamin D in the diet. It is
a good example of what happens if the body does
not get sufficient nutrients. In this section, we look
at the impact of a poor diet on children’s health and
overall development.
Have you noticed in your setting that some
children are not allowed certain foods? There is
a range of reasons why this might be the case.
In this section, we look at the different reasons why children may need special diets or have
certain requirements. We will also look at the
importance of keeping records of children’s
dietary needs.
Do you tend to snack or do you eat properly at meal
times? Ideally, you should aim to eat healthily when
you are with children. In this section, we look at
how you can support healthy eating in the setting
where you work.