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Healthy eating with family and children
No cooking separate meals, and still eating well: how a family meal can work for everyone.
One meal for everyone
Cooking separate meals costs time and patience. A better approach: one base for everyone, which each person adds to as they need.
The building-block principle
- One side dish in the middle: rice, pasta or potatoes
- One source of protein: mince, chicken, lentils or eggs
- Two vegetables: one cooked, one raw for nibbling
- Everyone puts their own plate together
Get the children involved
Children are more likely to eat what they've helped to prepare. Washing, chopping and arranging are nice jobs for them. And patience helps: many children need quite a few tries before they like a new food.
Set an example instead of banning things
Children pick up a lot by watching. If you enjoy vegetables yourself and sit down at the table together, you pass on more than any rule could.
My tip
Plan one dish a week that the whole family likes, and only vary the sides. That gives you a reliable foundation.
