• Children should eat 3 meals plus 1 to 2 snacks per day to provide the energy they need to get them through the day.
• Trust your child’s appetite. When they are growing faster, they will be hungrier. When they are growing more slowly, they will eat less. Let them choose as much or as little as they want from the healthy foods you offer.
• Use the resources below to help guide and support children through this transition and ensure they eat well.

Top 5 things you can do to get your kids to eat well:

1. Have family meals.
2. Be a positive role model.
3. Plan, shop and cook with your kids.
4. Make healthy eating the norm.
5. Encourage but don't force healthy eating.

Top 5 common things parent request help with:

1. Picky Eaters (external link)
2. Healthy Snacks (external link)
3. Healthy Meals (external link)
4. Healthy Eating for the School Day (external link)
5. Food for Student Athletes

Resources:

• Canada's Food Guide (external link)
• Facts on Snacks (external PDF file)
• Get Top Marks for Healthy Lunches (PDF file) (order resource)
• Healthy Eating for Youth
• Kids and Juice, Too Much of a Good Thing (PDF file) (order resource)
• When Your Child is a Picky Eater… (PDF file) (order resource)
• Simple Lunch Solutions (external link)

For more information consult with a Registered Dietitian

It is possible to eat well on the run. With a little bit of planning and preparation, you can have healthy meals throughout the week.

• Plan your own menus - Eat Right Ontario (external link)

Local vegetables and fruit are fresh and taste great!
Buying from local farms supports the local economy and helps keep farms in business.
Picking your own vegetables and fruit is a great way for your family to be active together.

• Eating on the run: healthy eating for a hectic lifestyle (external link)
• At home choices (external link)
• Restaurant choices (external link)

Local vegetable and fruit are fresh and taste great!

• Looking to keep things local? From farm to plate we have the resources to help you locate Halton produced food.
• Buying from local farms supports the local economy and helps keep farms in business.
• Picking your own vegetables and fruit is a great way for your family to be active together.
  • Simply Local - Your Guide to Halton Farms
  • Where to Get Food in Halton

• Consult with a Registered Dietician.
• Dietitians of Canada (external link)
  Dietitians of Canada promote health and well being through expertise in food and nutrition. The site has consumer tips and tools for families.
• EatRight Ontario (external link)
  EatRight Ontario’s "Ask A Dietitian" FREE service provides a direct link to registered dietitians to answer your healthy eating questions such as eating on the run, picky eaters, menu planning and more. Send an e-mail through an online form or by phone at 1-877-510-510-2
• Eat Well Central (external link)
  Health Canada website where you’ll find lots of simple, user-friendly healthy eating tips to use every day.
• Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide (external link)
  Learning more about Canada's Food Guide will help you and your family know how much food you need, what types of foods are better for you, and the importance of physical activity in your day.
• My Food Guide (external link)
  My Food Guide is an interactive version of Canada’s Food guide that allows the user to customize age, gender, foods and activity levels.

Halton food goodness

Looking to keep things local? From farm to plate we have the resources to help you locate Halton produced food.

• Canada's Food Guide (external link)
• The Halton Fresh Food Box (external link)
  An incorporated not for profit community-based program that brings neighbours together to buy delicious and nutritious fresh fruits and vegetables at wholesale prices.
• Farm to School (external link)
  Farm to School brings fresh, locally grown produce into Halton elementary schools through existing student nutrition programs.
• Simply Local: Your Guide to Halton Farms
  This handy guide provides information about Halton farms and all that they have to offer. The guide can be downloaded here or order it here.
• Where to Get Food in Halton (PDF file)
  A list of food programs and food banks in Halton.