• Be a good role model.

  If you’re a fussy eater then you may have to make peace with the idea that your child may be a fussy eater too. Lead by example and try to expand your diet to show him that you enjoy a wide variety of foods.

It’s just as important that your child eat healthy lunches and snacks at school as it is when she’s at home. Nutritious school lunches are important as they will provide the fuel for her learning. Try encouraging your child to be involved in the preparation of her lunch each day – if she has a say into what’s going into her lunchbox each day, she’ll be more likely to eat it.

In some households, mum or dad do all the cooking while the kids look on. In others, the kids are helping to prepare meals from an age when the most they can do is ‘help’ stir a cake batter. Sharing your kitchen with your child encourages an interest in cooking and food, and is the best way to encourage lifelong healthy eating habits.

Yes, it's true - breakfast is the most important meal of the day and yet too many adults and children leave the house each day with little, or nothing, in their stomachs. Not only does breakfast kick-start our metabolism, it feeds the body and brain and provides the energy and stamina your child needs to pay attention in class, get schoolwork done and participate in physical activities. Children who miss breakfast are often tired, irritable, restless and less focussed than their full-bellied classmates.

If you’re a vegetarian and are interested in bringing your child up as a vegetarian, or are considering changing the family diet to vegetarian, think about the following:

• Vegetarians living in a non-vegetarian household may not eat as well because they may get little help in planning vegetarian meals.

School-age children need to eat well through out the school day in order to do their best work. Besides nourishing their growing bodies, healthy eating will supply the energy they need to participate in active learning.

Once your child can read and is confident in the kitchen, he may start making menu suggestions (don’t be surprised if most of them are sweet!) or even wanting to cook dinner for the family - many children start by wanting to replicate their favourite dinner.

Yes, it’s true – breakfast is the most important meal of the day and yet too many adults and children leave the house each day with little, or nothing, in their stomachs. Not only does breakfast kick-start our metabolism, it feeds the body and brain and provides the energy and stamina your child needs to pay attention in class, get schoolwork done and participate in physical activities. Children who miss breakfast are often tired, irritable, restless and less focussed than their full-bellied classmates.