• Don't get upset. If you cooked a nice dinner and they didn't eat it - eat it yourself! Don't even allow yourself to be upset.
• Allow them to decide whether they want to eat it or not. Make sure you provide healthy and good quality food and don't bribe them with treats to get them to eat.
• Give two healthy choices for their meal if they are picky. Avoid junk food choices, and allow them the power of choosing their own food.
• You get to choose what sort of food is in your house. Only buy the healthy options and they will be none the wiser. Just don't give them junk food options to choose from!
• Try to avoid using food as a bribery tool to stop arguing, sibling rivalry or to improve performance. This teaches children they can perform for food, and takes away the true purpose of food which is to nourish and satisfy.
• Make sure you feed your children healthy snacks between meals. Avoid high sugar foods, and give them plenty of fruit and vegetables. Cut fruit up to make it more appealing- but try to leave apple skin and other thin skins on to retain the nutrients.
• Saying no to all food requests helps you say no in other areas too. Children don't need an ice cream every day - or a pile of biscuits. Just as it is not healthy for us to eat that food every day, they deserve healthy options that help them better concentrate and work harder.

Children are very susceptible to reacting to the wrong sort of food. Foods high in sugar or caffeine can cause children to act up and behave badly. They can become hyper or irritable. Foods such as rice, fruit and vegetables are better options than lollies, icecreams and chocolate.

Talk to your children about what good helps them grow in a healthy way from an early age - it will help them develop a good understanding of how they should eat and prevent larger problems in the future.

by Rachel Goodchild

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