Beyond health. The lifelong benefits of eating well for your kids.

Love of healthy food and enjoyment of mealtimes can give your children – and you – lifelong physical, mental and social benefits. Helping you achieve those benefits is Noochy’s purpose. We call it the Noochy Food Philosophy, and we’ve put together the following tips to help you get started

We all know that good nutrition is essential for good health. More than that, mealtimes can also be great social and cultural learning grounds, giving you and your kids the opportunity to gain knowledge and understanding about each other and the world.

Hard to disagree, right?

However, we also know that putting that theory into practice can be way harder than it sounds. When you’re exhausted after a hard day, mealtime can feel like a battleground, with your own and your kids’ frustration overcoming all the best intentions.

In the real parenting world, we all have those days. The good news is that there are ways to limit those battles, and create positive mealtime attitudes and environments that will help build healthy eating habits for all of you – for life. That’s what the Noochy Food Philosophy is all about.

Here are some tips to get you started, with further links to our own articles and other useful resources if you’d like to explore further. And it all starts with Food Curiosity

7 tips to foster Food Curiosity

Helping your kids develop what we call Food Curiosity is a great way to get them interested in and open to both the pleasures and the ‘science’ of healthy eating for life. Food Curiosity is about seeing food as more than just fuel on the plate and opening kids’ eyes to the story behind it. Engaging and involving your kids in what they’re eating in this way can give your mealtimes a whole new, more enjoyable and lasting dimension.

Here are seven tips to foster food curiosity:

1. Talk to your kids about different foods, where they come from and how they are made or grown. Show them pictures, tell them stories or, if you can, show them the real thing in the veggie patch or on the farm.
   
   
2. Let them help with food shopping and preparation so they learn and take pride in the process and feel invested in the meal, at least a few times a week.
   
   
3. Share mealtimes with them as often as practical, even if just snacking along with them – or at least a few times each week. See article here for more hints on making mealtimes fun.
   
   
4. Share (take care not to lecture) interesting, age-appropriate nutritional information: dairy for strong bones, protein to build muscles, greens for all round good health, pasta for energy and so on. See article here for more about nutrition for kids.
   
   
5. As well as nutritional benefits, highlight – and model – good eating habits, basic manners and, especially, enjoyment of food and mealtimes as both social and food-focused experiences. That includes being open to serving foods you may not enjoy yourself.
   
   
6. Use cultural features of different foods and dishes as an entry point for fun discussion. Talk about where the style of food originated, the parts of the world in which it is eaten, exciting or fun facts about those people and places and especially, any links to your family or friends.
   
   
7. Give your kids menu options when you can. Talk and build excitement about new recipes or favourite foods you can all enjoy together.

Finally – stay calm when all doesn’t go smoothly or to plan. Keep smiling, be patient and focus on next time. And check through some of our other articles for more tips, insights and information on helping your kids establish healthy eating for life.