Add finely chopped vegetables to pasta, stews and curries and use meal names such as 'rainbow pasta' or Mum's (or Dad's) colourful Curry! This makes children feel like they are eating in a special treat type way, and children can help come up with the names of foods they have helped cook.

Pack vegetables into childrens traditional favourites such as pizzas.

Offer small portions of a variety of vegetables. Children like having a choice of different flavours and textures on their plates.

Try to puree different fruits together. you can use this mixture for a sweet spread on bread/toast, in yoghurt or in rice pudding. You can also make smoothies by adding a little fruit juice to it (eg. Orange Juice).

Allow children to experiment with foods! How about chopping cucumber into stars for a salad and for a dessert putting different fruits onto cocktail sticks and dipping them into a yoghurt pot! This healthy fondue will feed the family!

Top Tips

Show children a new food a few times before you encourage them to eat it, if they refuse don't force them, just try later.

Try to eat the same foods together as a family. Children are more likely to eat foods that are eaten by everyone else. This works particularly well with other children so get chatting to other mums or dads and pack similar healthy lunches and invite childrens friends round to try healthy dinners.

Encourage the children to help prepare food. Children are more likely to eat foods that they have helped to make.

If your child has a problem eating one specific food, try to hide them by mixing them into soups, mash potato or yoghurt.

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