Family dinner time… In a perfect sitcom setting, everyone is sitting around the table, swapping stories about their day, while tucking into a deliciously tasty meal and asking for second helpings… It’s a nice image, but reality is more easily compared to the last animated zoo film you were forced to suffer at your child’s side. Screaming creatures climbing on top of you, flying objects whirling through the air and absolute chaos dominating dinner time!
We’re not alone though. Research conducted by the Irish Heart Foundation (IHF), as part of its annual September Heart Month, found that 80 per cent of parents find it difficult to get their children to eat at family mealtimes, with 50 per cent saying that mealtimes often descend into drama and arguments. The poll also found that about 60 per cent of parents felt their children were fussy eaters. And 20 per cent admitted to begging their children to eat their meal (we’ve been there).
To help, the IHF has compiled a number of healthy recipes that appeal to children, as well as a guide to snacks and healthy eating for children of all ages. The aim, says the Foundation, is to “stop the drama” – and of course, the hope is that by promoting healthy eating in young children, we can stop the growing tide of childhood obesity, which can sow the seeds for later chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease.
You can find these tips and recipes on a special site created by the IHF right here. We’re there already…
maternity&infant
Originally posted 2016-09-08 15:49:21.