Teaching Your Kids About Nutrition

Making healthy food choices isn’t always easy. Often we give into the temptation of sweets and the convenience of highly processed foods. But the key is to continually strive to make better decisions each day and teach our children to understand nutrition facts and enable them to eat healthier.

Focus on the Facts - Nutritional Facts Table

Last year we wrote about the Focus on the Facts campaign and we’re thrilled to continue to spread the message of teaching kids early about nutrition.

The Nutrition Facts Education Campaign (NFEC) is a joint effort between the Food & Consumer Products of Canada (FCPC), Health Canada, Retail Council of Canada (RCC), and the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers (CFIG).

Focus on the Facts

The NFEC aims to raise Canadians awareness, use and understanding of the Serving Size and Percent Daily Value (% DV), on the Nutrition Facts Table (NFt) so that we can all make informed food choices for our families.

Learning at the Vancouver Home & Design Show

Last weekend, I took our girls to visit the NFEC event at the Vancouver Home & Design Show.

The girls had a great time and learned more about nutrition. One of the ladies at the booth, went through an explanation of how the Nutrition Facts table (NFt) works and they played a “Nutrition FACT-O” game.

Focus on the Facts - NFEC Event

Focus on the Facts - NFEC Event

Focus on the Facts - NFEC Event

I think continually educating families on healthy eating choices is so important. The booth was fun and informative and I hope lots of the families visiting the Home & Design Show took time to stop and learn.

It helps to find ways to make learning about nutrition fun.

Also, discussions about nutrition are not one-time conversations. You want to continually talk about the ingredients in your and their nutritional value.

Having the Nutrition Facts table (NFt) right on the box of foods makes it easy to talk to your kids about the food you’re eating.

Another great way to get the conversation about healthy food choices started is to have your kids help you prepare dinner. Wash and chop vegetables to make easy recipes such as Oven Roasted Potatoes and Peppers Recipe and add a variety of vegetables into the mix on different nights. We love oven roasting vegetables because it is such an easy way to cook several vegetables at once.

You can also get your kids involved in making healthy breakfast smoothies and create different recipes together by selecting various fruits and vegetables to add to the smoothie. It’s a great idea to toss in a little avocado to smoothies to make them extra healthy.

Talking to your kids when they are young about ways to add healthy food to their routine will help your entire family create a healthier lifestyle.

Learn more about how to use the NFt at Canada.ca/NutritionFacts.

 

Pin it for Later

teaching-kids-about-nutrition-reading-the-nutrition-facts-table

 

Disclosure: This post is sponsored, so extra thanks for reading and sharing.
Written by Susan Carraretto, co-founder of 5 Minutes for Mom
Talk with me: @5minutesformom and Facebook.com/5minutesformom
Pin with me at pinterest.com/5minutesformom

Similar Posts

264 Comments

  1. My hubby and I have tried substituting our “regulars” for healthier alternatives …ie, steamed & blended cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes!

  2. Eating and cooking healthy foods are essential and winning this card will give me the resources to help buy better ingredients.

  3. Reading labels is something kids would never do on their own. We have to teach them in order to let them know what is good or bad for their bodies. It also teaches them to read difficult words. I am teaching my grandkids whenever I get a chance.

  4. I like to get them to help with the meal plans. If they kind of “own” part of the decision making, that helps a lot.

  5. The most important thing i teach them is to get enough vegetables in them. If they dont want to eat them they have the option of drinking them in a shake where they can cover the taste with fruit

  6. I take my kids grocery shopping with me and let them help plan out our meals. We like to try new vegetables and new recipes.

  7. My tip relates to LESS food. I encourage my family to drink a glass of water before they reach for a snack, as sometimes we mistake hunger for the body’s need for water, and then , if still hungry – reach for fruit or veggies. A lot of time we are just bored.

  8. When I was young, I was taught that trying new things is an adventure! I think that’s a helpful mentality to have. Far too many kids are picky eaters who seem to only want chicken nuggets and hot dogs. I wasn’t like that, and I think it’s because my parents used a “wow, this is fun!” approach with me.

  9. I try to give my kids choices -always healthy , they can choose the vegetable and they can have it cooked or raw

  10. It is not easy to get family members to make healthy choices. I have found that leading by example and having those healthy choices in convenient packages helps. I like to have fresh fruit always in the fridge cut up and ready to eat. I like to have veggies with each meal.

  11. Have you ever considered about adding a little bit more than just your articles?
    I mean, what you say is important and all. Nevertheless imagine if you added some great photos or videos to give your posts more, “pop”!

    Your content is excellent but with pics and clips, this
    blog could undeniably be one of the best in its field.
    Wonderful blog!

  12. We try to keep 80% of our shopping to the outer isles of the grocery store as well as strictly juice 2 days a week

  13. Be a good role model! If my kids see me eating something, they are more likely to try it. Also, let your kids shop with you and give them 3 healthy options…let them chose he snack they want (out of those options).

    Thank you for the opportunity to win! I’ve got 4 growing daughters who are eating up a storm!!!

  14. For some reason if the kids help with the veggies (like pealing the carrots, etc.) they are proud that they helped and more likely to eat them with gusto

  15. I used to have a small basket that would sit filled with not so healthy snack foods. Something the boys could grab and go quickly, without hassle. The basket became their “go to” for anything/anytime they wanted. They wouldn’t eat meals when they were put on the table but 10 minutes later they were grabbing from the snack basket. I took the snack basket away, or rather I took the unhealthy choices away and replaced them with better snack options. When they would ask for something to eat I would point them in the direction of the basket. It took a while for them to understand the poor choices were no longer available and they would have to accept what was in the basket or wait for meal time. It took a while but eventually meal times became their better choice. They will eat a good, full choice meal and when/if they find themselves wanting a snack between meals they know what the limits are and have finally started to select the better options as well as accepting the new snack baskket.

  16. my girls love helping me make healthy meals, I think if you let kids be a part of the process they get excited about what you are doing.

  17. I have a hard time getting my son to do anything healthy, let alone read labels. So, for now I’m going to be the one to help him make the choices.

  18. I try to set a good example for my family by making healthy eating choices myself. I also make sure I have lots of fruits/veggies & healthy foods for them to choose from! I don’t buy junk for them to eat either!

  19. I never buy soda or unhealthy snacks for my family. They really have no choice than to eat and drink what we have. Hahah. We do occasionally have unhealthy food, but rarely. Holidays we eat pretty unhealthy.

  20. since my hubby is gluten free we read the labels regularly. We try and involve the kids to show them how much sugar is in a serving, etc. Hopefully it’ll make them smarter consumers when they’re older!

  21. I don’t buy GMOs or food with artificial colors, I send safe candy to school and if my kids avoid a bad treat I replace them with safe treat at home.

  22. Its not easy to get my kids to always make the right healthy choice but they learn by example and i try to prepare delicious meals I know they will like that are healthy or with a little twist of ingredient they dont know is in there.

  23. I’ve taught them to read labels. We have food allergies and diabetes in the family so I thought they needed to learn how to read and know what is in the food they are eating.

  24. We try to read the labels so we know how much salt and sugar are in the foods we like and if there is a better choice instead. Everything in moderation works well too.

  25. I think it begins with the grocery shopper. If it isn’t brought in the house, that is half the battle. Nutritional food looks more appealing when its not sitting next to ice cream.

  26. I’ve been reading labels since I made the choice of becoming vegetarian and living a healthier life style.
    My family is arabic and we do like eating lots of meats but ever since i became a vegetarian they have been respecting me and my decisions with food hehehehe. but I got them into reading labels and reading ingredient to know what nutrition we are getting.

  27. I avoid things like cereal and sweetened yogurts for breakfast. They have a lot of sugar in them and why start the day off like that?

  28. I package fruits and veggies, cheese in snack size baggies in the fridge so the kids (teens) just have to grab them and go! If they aren’t all packaged—-they won’t get eaten. Makes it as easy as possible for them to eat healthy!

  29. Make healthy snacks easily available and don’t have other, unhealthy options. Keep offering the healthy options and they will eventually try them, hopefully even like them!

  30. We stock up on fruits and nuts for healthy snacks. We started reading labels and choose those that has lesser sodium content.

  31. I’m the worst culprit for wanting things that taste good but not necessarily good for me. That’s why hubby does the grocery shopping. He sticks to the outside area of the grocery stores and only goes down into the aisles for things like spices and other items needed for recipes. He NEVER buys prepackaged foods or anything like that. Everything we eat is made from scratch and pretty much from the meat, bread and vegetable sections.

  32. Skipping the cookie aisle at the grocery store has helped me cut out a lot of calories. I can’t go down that aisle without putting something in my cart so now I just cruise on by.

  33. I try to offer a choice between two healthy things. I make options as natural as I can. And my kids know that there’s a time place for treats.

  34. The best way to ensure everyone is eating a nutritious, balanced meal is to add lots of color to your plates. I used lots of fruits and vegetables in order to get the kids visually interested in eating!

  35. My wife and I both have been counting calories since February and, combined, have lost about 85 lbs so far! Feels great to be healthier.

  36. I take my kids grocery shopping with me and have them read some labels as we go along so they can learn about nutrition.

  37. My best advice is to read the labels and to buy as much non-processed foods as possible. I try to buy fresh and make everything from scratch, but the items that I do buy that are not fresh I do read the labels and the ingredients (and try not to buy items with ingredients I can’t pronounce)

  38. We eat healthier by snack planning ahead of time! I usually home make all our snacks so I know exactly what is in them and package them all into servings so they are just as easy to grab as any other snack would be.

  39. For us the best choices I can make is not to have bad choices in the house. We make healthy snack choices every time by doing this. It has worked for us for quite a few years. Thank you for all the great info and giveaway 🙂

  40. I have found that planning meals ahead of time and using that to make my shopping list, then sticking to that list, helps us not have nearly as many impulse buys while we’re grocery shopping.

  41. I find involving them in the selection of veggies in the store and letting them help with dinner gets them excited to try their creations.

  42. I buy a lot of fruit and veggies, and my kids pick out what they want. They also make their own lunches and know to put in a main meal, fruit and veg, and making them responsible for their lunches gives them the power to eat healthy.

  43. One way thing we do in trying to get our family to make healthier food choices is visiting our local farmers market. We took our son when he was little and it was a great way to introduce him to healthy foods and meet the people that grew them. 🙂

  44. We no longer drink soda in our house and if we want flavor to our water, we infuse it with fruit. I have to read labels due to allergies so do not buy anything with MSG or it’s 10-12 other names. We also choose fruit, veggies or nuts for snacks rather than chips, cookies, etc.

  45. One way I have found is teaching kids to garden! Kids will eat what they grow. Let them pick out some of the vegetables and have them help. They will also most often try new ones too if they can grow it next year, I had a broccoli hater, and now she loves it.

  46. To help my family make healthy choices, we equate whole, natural foods with growing strong, healthy bodies that can do whatever you want and avoid illness. My daughter is a dancer and understood from an early age that good, fresh foods build strong muscles and make her feel good but sugar and junk keep her from being the best.

  47. Its not easy to get my kids to always make the right healthy choice but they learn by example and i try to prepare delicious meals I know they will like that are healthy or with a little twist of ingredient they dont know is in there.

  48. they can only eat what you buy. let them help prepare. make the food fun like making shapes or making finger food. let them select from choices you provide

  49. We always find that if we let our girls choose & make their own healthy food they’re more likely to eat it 😉

  50. I had gestational diabetes with my last pregnancy,23 years ago.Have follwed closely sugars and now with high blood pressure,I look for sodium content

  51. Limit sugary foods. When shopping for groceries try to stay on the outer aisles instead of the centre ones, usually the junk food and other not as healthy ones are there. Try to eat every 3 hours. Eat fruit before meals. Include nuts and fruits everyday in your meal.

  52. With my daughter it is super easy—all I have to do is tell her it is healthy and she will eat it. My son we have to sneak healthy choices into his food as he is the pickiest eater on the planet.

  53. My mom always encouraged me to add something healthy to each meal…like cutting up fruit in my cereal, or adding some crunchy veggies to my lunch.

  54. Avoid processed and sugary foods as much as possible! Also make healthy snacks very convenient to grab for a snack instead of junk food.

  55. My tip is to SEASON your food. There’s nothing worse than plain steamed vegetables, especially to kids. You need to season them or maybe use a little sauce (stir fries are great) so that they actually taste good.

  56. Probably the best tip I have is to not less junk food each time you shop…if you don’t have it you can’t eat it.

  57. Make sure that your plate is always full of multi-coloured foods. The more colours, the more vitamins you are probably eating!!

  58. Oh geez. Well, the holidays not withstanding, I try to make use of my slow cooker. Turkey chilli, hearty stews with root veggies (lean meats!), I mean, there’s a lot you can do there. Oats! Oh man, you make enough for a week, then microwave (plus, since they are nearly gelatinous when cold, no spillage).

    I also try to watch my alcohol consumer – all the time, but esp during the holidays. TONS of calories there – and empty ones to boot. I also try to go easy on the whipped cream on all those fancy coffees and hot chocolates.

  59. My tip for healthy eating is to not buy junk food then nobody can eat it and will have to choose something healthy for snacking.

  60. My biggest tip is to get a food scale and weigh servings rather than eye ball them. I cut out a lot of calories as a result of doing this.

  61. Having kids help with growing vegetables, even if in just a pot on the patio, helps them to be more excited about cooking and eating them.

  62. I make smoothies with hidden veggies in them. Spinach, broccoli stalks, cucumber and other leafy greens are all things I can sneak into a strawberry and banana smoothie!

  63. I’d invest in one of those cookbooks that focus on sneaking vegetables into cooking, if you have vegetable-averse kidlets.

  64. My family cooks together every night so my kids understand the value of home grown ingredients and how much healthier and scrumptious it is to cook your own meal, rather than buying it pre-made.

  65. We talk about healthy choices a lot and modelling good eating habits helps children make good choices too. My kids like it when I make faces etc with their food or give them some dip to dip their veggies in and they are quite happy.

  66. I try to use healthier individual ingredients – i.e. margarine instead of butter, skim milk, etc. – to help make meals healthier for my family.

  67. I found that when the adults enjoyed foods, the kids would be more likely to try. But, in some cases that took months! 🙂

  68. I started teaching Mini me from a young age to shop the perimeter to fuel her athletic goals. Even at 11, she still reaches for an apple or a yogurt before a cookie!

  69. I give them some choices – they get to choose between 3 healthy options, that way if they pick it they had a hand in the decision making so they are more likely to eat it

  70. I teach the kids how to read labels and get them helping in the lichen preparing meals teaching me and them what’s healthy

  71. We grocery shop and cook as a family. That way everyone has a say and knows what foods are good for us. Teaching in action I suppose. It’s worked so far and kids hope will have influenced my son enough to eat healthy on his own.

  72. I have my children help me cook to show them that healthy food us not only good for them but it can be fun to make too

  73. I haven’t been successful for everyone, but I’ve helped my mom and fiancé by finding creative ways to change up the dishes they already love. i also help them focus on how they feel physically afterward.

  74. Its quite easy to get my family to eat healthy because I do the grocery shopping. If there is no junk food in the house, they cant eat it. My kids are young so they eat what I feed them. Works well !! 🙂

  75. I try not to have any pop or sugary items in the house so the temptation is not there to eat or drink sugary drinks.

  76. We try to only buy organic foods when we can and I also make the kids have a healthy snack first then if they are still hungry they can have something a little sweeter like a piece of organic chocolate.

  77. Aside from making sure to read the labels on packaged foods, I make sure that we buy more in the fresh produce section.

  78. I use a smaller plate at meals to help control the amount of food and calories I eat. I take time to enjoy smaller amounts of food.

  79. Keep pre-portioned healthy snacks in the fridge and in a basket in the kitchen for easy grabbing. Use raisins, nuts, pretzels, grapes, carrot sticks, cheese cubes, berries, or banana chips, etc.

  80. Well, ever since the 60’s I’ve been a natural foods advocate! If God made it, eat it. And eat it that way, not all changed and processed. It just makes perfect sense. Do not keep junk food in your house! Keep good snacks, nuts, fresh fruit, homemade cookies with good things in them, and no one misses the junk at all.

  81. I avoid bringing junk food into the house, only fruits and vegetables, with once a week binging which is ok as long as its only once a week

  82. My advice is based on what I did with my kids. Introduce healthy foods to your kids early, very early, and this will follow them. My kids all eat healthy with no need for pushing from me.

  83. Pingback: $100 Grocery Gift Card Giveaway | Just Sweep
  84. Pingback: $100 Grocery Gift Card Giveaway – Ends November 26, 2016 – Garageboxed
  85. I just try to make healthier things or cook healthier and if they eat it that’s great. If not they make something themselves or go hungry.

  86. I am a label reader, I look for the ingredients and the order they are listed. Look at the server size and sugar and salt content

  87. I let my kids have some say on what we’re going to eat. They seem to be more open to trying different foods if they get to choose from a few choices.

  88. My tip for us making healthier food choices, is doing as much prepping on Sundays as I can, for the coming week. Cleaning, cutting, choppings veggies, fruit, etc. so it is convenient to just grab and go! 🙂

  89. I just try to keep healthy foods on hand at home so that when my family needs a snack, food on the go, etc the choices they have are healthy. We always have at least 3-5 fruit options available for example (e.g. right now we have bananas, oranges, grapes, kiwi, and apples), and we never buy sweets or chips unless they are for a special occasion like a party, movie night, special day etc. If we have that stuff in the house, we eat it of course, so by replacing it with things like fruit, low sodium crackers etc. we simply have healthier options on hand.

  90. I like taking my kids into the grocery store to the fruits and vegetable section so they can pick out healthy snacks to take to school!

  91. My kids are always interested in trying something once. Sometimes though, if it looks “gross”, they won’t. Make a game of it and have them close their eyes!

    Besos Sarah
    Journeys of The Zoo

  92. When trying to get a fussy eater to get enough nutrients make up puree’s or cut up food small enough to add to other dishes like mashed potatoes, pasta sauce etc.

  93. My children go to a healthy school so their lunches have to contain healthy food. We shop together for items for their lunches and they are slowing learning what is good for them and what is not! And more often than not, they choose the healthy stuff at home first over the junk food!

  94. I am trying to lead by example and show the kids exactly how we should eat instead of how we have always eaten.

  95. We keep the house full of healthy food and no junk food! I prepare healthy meals and it’s just our norm.

  96. We are trying to eat meals made from scratch more and we are being more aware of what ingredients are in the boxed or canned food that we are buying.

  97. My tip is to pay attention not just to sugars but to carbs too. Carbs turn into sugar. So, if 1/2 cup of a product is 23 percent sugar and 64 percent carbs…… that is too much sugar.

  98. We make almost all of our meals (and grow veggies and herbs) and rarely buy processed foods/meals so my kids are already learning how to eat healthy.

  99. i teach my kids that certain foods are junk food and they are not healthy and that they can eat junk food but just little bit not a lot

  100. I am horrible for checking the labels. I do try to follow the food guide and make sure that they have their full dinners on a daily basis. I don’t watch their sugars or fats!

  101. Simply, out of sight out of mind. I stock up on healthy veggies & hummus for snacks verses having chips on hand. If it’s not there to tempt, it’s not an option!

  102. I never read just the table, always with the ingredients list – and I never buy anything with too many ingredients.

  103. We look at labels for the fiber and sugar content as there is a diabetic in the household. Finding foods with low sugar and high fiber content makes for a healthy choice for us.

  104. We are a health conscious family, so I try my best to incorporate fruits and veggies with every snack and meal. I also talk to my three girls about “sometimes foods” versus “all the time foods”, and making healthy choices. It’s an uphill battle to eat healthy- for all of us!- but it’s so important and posts/campaigns like these definitely help!

  105. We have been trying to eat healthy for a couple years now. We grow some of our own veggies, we are constantly reading labels and teaching our children the benefits of healthy eating

  106. Food exposure is key for my son who has special needs. He gravitates toward carb-based foods so at every meal we place a small amount of a nutritious food beside that & encourage him to touch, smell, taste it so his diet expands to a healthier way of life. I also food substitute in healthier pastas, cheese with lower milk fat %, & foods with more fibre.

  107. Cooking meals together which are healthy and balanced. Teaching them from an early age about healthy eating and the benefits.

  108. I find that letting our kids pick what healthy snacks they want for their lunches has worked for us 🙂

  109. I have always checked out labels on food and I also taught my kids how to do this. It really takes so little time to read the labels and I do know I am amazed how something can be made out to be healthy and it contains so much fat and sugar you may as well eat a chocolate bar.

  110. I try to only buy healthy foods to have in the house. That way they we have to eat the fruit and other healthy snacks. I wash the fruit and cut up veggies to have easy access.

  111. I find that if I stock fruits and vegetables and prepare them to be easier to eat, my family will choose those over junk food.

  112. We have cut back a lot on processed foods over the years and always read the labels. I just wish they were a little ‘easier’.

  113. We have been buying less processed foods, and making more meals from scratch. This way we know what is in it, & there are usually fewer preservatives.

  114. I take my son to the store, today he wanted Nesquick milk boxes for his lunch, it lead to a whole conversation about why isn’t this milk refrigerated. I want him o have chocolate milk, but not that stuff. He left it and picked out his “starbucks” apple juice instead. I like those talks.

  115. We just try to look closer now at the nutrition facts more when we buy groceries. I only used to pay attention to calories and fat content but now look at the entire table auch as sugar, daily value, etc.

  116. The kids help with the shopping list, they tend to eat more fruits and veggies if they are visable, like a bowl of fruit on table, they eat more veggies if they have a healthy dip for them! they like their veggies raw mostly.

  117. really have no tips but as a person gets older they tend to watch what they eat and check the labels, like for sodium content, or sugar

  118. My best advice as to getting family to make healthy food choices is a combination of modelling it and only having healthier choices in the house.

  119. We eat pretty healthy and we read the labels for salt, fat and sugar content. We make the grocery list together and plan our meal so every one likes it.

  120. I try to eat healthy all the time. Grow own vegetables (those are the best), store them all winter, can those that can’t be cold storaged, quick freeze some.

  121. I’ve been reading labels for years. I taught my children to do it and now I’m teaching my grandchildren!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.