LAURA BERRY FROM NUTRIPAEDS,
MOM TO ANNABELLA (SIX YEARS) AND JOSHUA (FIVE)
WHAT DOES AN EVERYDAY LUNCH LOOK LIKE IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD? We usually have some sort of low GI bread or pita bread with a protein (like chicken, ham, eggs or tuna) and salad vegetables (like chopped up peppers, carrots, baby tomatoes and cucumbers). They also love to eat these veggies with tzatziki. Bella really enjoys cheese so she often also has a cheese triangle or I put grated cheese on their plates. Lunch could also be leftovers – like bolognaise and pasta or leftover braai meat and salad after the weekend. In winter time, we eat more soups and casserole type meals, so the leftovers then consist of these.
They sometimes have a little diluted fruit juice at a mealtime but otherwise it’s water all the way. As a treat we give our children a hot chocolate.
WHAT HAPPENS IF THEY DON’T LIKE WHAT YOU’VE MADE FOR DINNER? I always gently encourage them to try everything on their plate at least once – and ideally three times if possible. I never insist that they finish their food, but I don’t make them anything else if they don’t eat it. I also try to be realistic about what a balanced, child-friendly and an age-appropriate portion is and remind them that it is their choice whether to eat the foods for dinner or not. They also know that they won’t be able to have treat foods later if they don’t eat the foods that are good for their bodies now.
IS ANYTHING YOUR CHILDREN ARE NOT ALLOWED TO EAT? No. I try to help my children understand that there are no forbidden foods, but that it is important to know the place of treat foods and drinks in terms of quantity and frequency. I try to focus on what they should be having most of the time rather than the foods they shouldn’t. That said, I am not a fan of very sugary sweets with lots of E numbers and I have never given them fizzy cooldrinks.