Eating for good health
What should your children be eating for good health?
Do you need ideas for tasty and healthy lunchboxes?
What snacks are good snacks?
Developing healthy eating habits as a family will prepare your children for the rest of their lives and have a big impact on their health in the long term.
Get information and tips to help you shop for and prepare child-friendly healthy food options, ways to snack smarter, the facts about milk and water, as well as inspiration to create healthy and yummy lunchboxes.
Healthy eating for children – where to start?
There is a lot of information out there about what to feed your family, which can make it difficult to figure out the basics.
Understand the Australian Dietary Guidelines, learn what foods to limit, how to encourage healthy habits, and serving sizes, including how many serves of each food group your child should be eating each day. Click here to download the brochure and teach your child healthy habits for a healthy life.
Click here for information to kick start your child’s healthy eating, including:
- What kinds of foods your family should be eating and how much.
- The three key habits that can help with healthy eating.
- Swapping juice for water in your child's lunchbox and tips to get your child drinking more water.
- Support for your child to live a healthier lifestyle.
Fuel your child in kindergarten
Want to know what to pack in your child’s lunchbox when they start school? Watch this five-minute video for information and practical tips on how to pack a healthy lunchbox, as well as information on Crunch&Sip® and Healthy School Canteens.
Watch the video here.
This resource was developed by Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District
A variety of foods = a healthy lunchbox
Use this step-by-step guide through the food groups to create a healthy lunchbox for your child and the whole family. When children see their parents eating well, they want to do the same. Help them create lifelong healthy habits!
Access the step-by-step guide, click here.
This resource was developed by Western Sydney Local Health District.
Interactive lunchbox builder
Use this interactive lunchbox builder on your own or with your child to plan and pack a lunchbox with the healthy foods they like. An easy and fun to use tool for inspiration and ideas for sandwich filling ideas, sandwich alternatives, healthy snack foods and information on the five food groups.
Use the interactive lunchbox builder, click here.
The Magic Lunchbox
Mango and Sprint are preparing for ‘big school’. Grandma comes to visit and gives them a lunchbox… but it’s no ordinary lunchbox!
The Magic Lunchbox is a captivating, fun story about packing a healthy lunchbox, developed by the Central Coast Local Health District.
Watch the video, download the storybook, download the poster and help make your child’s transition to ‘big’ school, a smooth and healthy one.
Access The Magic Lunchbox here.
This resource was developed by the Central Coast Local Health District.
SWAP IT
SWAP IT to make the switch from sometimes foods to everyday foods. Everyday foods help children to grow and learn. By swapping a sometimes food for an everyday food you are setting your child up for the best possible mental and behavioural performance at school and at home.
- SWAP IT – Kids choice
- SWAP IT – Healthy tastes good
- SWAP IT – The cost of healthy living
- SWAP IT – Monday to Friday
- SWAP IT – Everyday foods quick and easy
Watch the short SWAP IT videos now, click here.
SWAP IT is a healthy lunchbox program developed by the Hunter New England Local Health District.
Choose healthy snacks
Healthy snacks help meet your child’s nutrition needs. Discover tips to plan healthy snacks and see examples of healthy snacks to feed your child.
For snack information and inspiration, click here.
This resource was developed by Western Sydney Local Health District.
Swap this snack for that snack
Swap snacks that are high in fat, sugar, salt and low in fibre for quick and easy healthy snacks!
Start swapping now, click here.
Choosing healthy snacks, starting in the supermarket aisle
The FoodSwitch mobile app helps you to make better food choices by providing simple health information about packaged foods. Using your phone, scan the barcode of your favourite products to find healthier alternatives to 'switch' to!
Access the FoodSwitch mobile app on IOS and Android. Click here for more information.
How many serves? How to eat more veggies!
Vegetables and fruit taste great and keep us healthy. Everyone should eat fruit and veggies every day. Most children eat fruit each day, but they don’t eat enough veggies.
Find out how many serves of fruit and veggies children should be eating every day and get useful tips to help your children eat more veggies.
For more information, click here.
This resource was developed by Western Sydney Local Health District.
Why choose water as a drink?
Water has no sugar, most tap water contains fluoride which helps children to grow strong teeth, plus water from the tap is free.
Discover how much sugar is in drinks (you will be surprised), how much water children should be drinking every day and tips to help your child drink more water.
Choose water, click here.
This resource was developed by Western Sydney Local Health District.
Choose the milk that is best for your child
Dairy is an important food group for children with dairy foods providing fat, protein, vitamins, and a rich source of calcium for strong bones and teeth.
It is important to consider the type of milk you are providing your child as they progress through the various stages of life. Find out more about the most appropriate type of milk for different ages.
Which milk is best for my child? Click here to find out.
This resource was developed by Western Sydney Local Health District.
Read food labels so that you can select the healthiest packaged foods for your family
It’s time to stop being overwhelmed by long lists of ingredients, clear up the confusion of health claims and crack the food labelling code!
Uncover simple tips and tricks to reading food labels so that you can make informed choices and select the healthiest packaged foods for your family.
Click here to crack the food labelling code.
This resource was developed by Western Sydney Local Health District.