Your child’s growing body needs nutrition, rather than “just food,” to maintain its health and well-being. This means that your child needs to eat a balanced variety of fruits and vegetables in amounts that are appropriate for their age, height and weight, and drink plenty of water or other healthy drinks every day. Children who develop healthy eating habits have a much better chance of maintaining these as they grow up, which means they are much more likely to remain in good health when they become adults.
Children who see their parents and adult caregivers eat a variety of healthy fruits and vegetables every day are more likely to do this themselves. Developing healthy eating habits positively affects how children eat during meals and when they snack, and affects their energy levels, growth and brain function.