What's important to you in your child's diet?

[GetSmart]

Hi all,
Looking for a steer as to what's important to you when it comes to your children's diet please? Is it reduced sugar? Reduced refined sugar? Eating a wide variety of food? Less meat? Ease of cooking?

I'm always striving for my children to eat healthily, but struggle with what's on the supermarket shelves in terms of snacks. I do a lot of healthy baking but sometimes we all need a grab snack and go to meals. Whats yours?

I would love for my local shops to make, and stock a healthy range of tasty foods for children for those days when you just time out!

x

Over and above all else A relaxed attitude to food and dining. This comes from my own issues around food. If you have that then everything else is easier.
A diet rich in produce not products, so plenty of fresh fruit and veg as opposed to Winders and the like, fresh meat, fish and dairy over turkey dinosaurs and whole grains where they will.
That said if they have a sausage now and then or a packet of hula hoops that's fine. If they won't eat wholemeal pasta I'm not losing sleep about it.
I want them to enjoy food, not obsess about it or scared of it, variety is great but I think variety generally increases with age.

Is this just free research for the cafe you were planning to set up?

Thanks AtleastitsnotMonday, I think that's a good ethos. I too use wholemeal pasta and brown rice, where possible, and try to ensure an array of fruit and vegetables are consumed. It's the sweet snacks that I struggle with (and lets be honest, most kids do demand them!). I love the idea of sugar free bakes, and have had some success with them, but most recipes do call for some sweetness which isn't easily achieved with just fruit. I've started using coconut sugar, honey and maple syrup instead of the refined stuff, but it's still a 'free sugar', which isn't great. It's difficult to know what's best. I just wish there were more of a selection available off the shelf that tasted half decent. I've tried some of the products aimed at kids and they are pretty awful to be honest. Maybe I need to just chill out a bit!
Thanks for your reply x

HI SoupDragon. Unfortunately not. The idea didn't amount to anything, but I've not given up yet. I'm sure there's a golden opportunity out there somewhere!