Healthy eating for kids

Tesco’s partnership with The FA is part of the commitment from both to encourage children to get active and eat healthily. Football is a fun way for children to start and maintain an active lifestyle. But active children burn up lots of energy, so they need foods that are high in energy and rich in nutrients to keep them going and staying healthy.

Here are some tips from Tesco on what your child needs to eat every day: 

• Get them eating plenty of fruit and vegetables – five child size portions a day. A portion size is generally the amount you can fit into the palm of your hand - it grows as you do!
• Their diet should include plenty of milk and dairy products. Yoghurt, fromage frais and cheese are a great way to introduce dairy into their daily routine.
• Include some protein rich foods in main meals such as fresh meat, fish, peas, beans, nuts and seeds, or meat alternatives such as Quorn.
• Enjoy plenty of carbohydrate rich foods such as bread, breakfast cereals, potatoes, pasta and rice – but try to vary it so they get something new every day.
• Active kids are bound to get hungry between meals, so make sure you have small snacks to hand to avoid them running out of energy. Try and avoid snacks that are too sugary – leave sugary foods and drinks to meal times and milk and water in-between.

Tesco has an entire section of its website devoted to healthy eating for kids, including meal plans, an interactive tool to help you design healthy lunches, and recipes for you to cook together with your kids. For more information visit www.tesco.com/health, and to shop for healthy food from Tesco go to www.tesco.com.