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Bord Bia

Launch of National Healthy Eating Guidelines for 1 to 4 year olds

5th October 2020

Dr Elizabeth Finnegan, Healthy Eating Executive, Bord Bia - The Irish Food Board

Eating well is of huge importance to overall health and wellbeing. Early intervention in a child’s life is well recognised as a critical phase when dietary habits are formed. But with so many confusing messages and misinformation about food and food choices, it can be difficult to know what to feed children.

On October 1st 2020, the Department of Health (DoH) launched the first-ever National Healthy Eating Guidelines for 1 to 4 year olds. These revised ‘Guidelines’ and ‘Children’s Food Pyramid’ were developed by nutrition experts, and are based on Irish dietary evidence for 1 to 5 Year Olds in Ireland (FSAI, 2020). These guidelines include a suite of new resources aimed at providing useful and practical nutrition advice to empower parents and to support others including dietitians, health care professionals and preschool teachers; thus establishing good eating habits in children from an early age. Their launch represents the realisation of further actions in the Obesity Policy and Action Plan – A Healthy Weight for Ireland (2016-2025), as well as a key action in First 5: A Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families (2019-2028).

A key requirement in developing national healthy lifestyle guidelines is that they represent a consensus of all the major stakeholders, so that health professionals and the general public get a clear, consistent and well informed message.

 

To help ensure this, in 2017, a Healthy Eating Sub Group was established under the arm of the DoH ‘Obesity Policy Implementation Oversight Group’ (OPIOG) and includes representatives from key government departments and stakeholders from the main organisations working on population nutrition in Ireland. This Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) sit on this sub group, where the Food Industry Development Division represent cross government actions, such as Food Wise 2025.

 

A critical message coming from these new guidelines is that we really need to recognise that small children have small tummies and as a result parents/guardians need to be mindful of the portion sizes that they are giving them when eating. The Children’s Food Pyramid will help to assist families to make healthier choices for their child as it provides a range of information on the number of servings from each shelf needed at different ages. It also recognises that some children of the same age will need more food and some will need less. Of particular interest, and the main difference between guidelines from older children and adults, is the change in the bottom two tiers; with cereals and breads, potatoes, pasta and rice (energy foods) replacing fruits, salads and vegetables as the biggest shelf; denoting more importance.

Also included in the guidance, is new advice for parents on Vitamin D for children aged one to four. Vitamin D is needed for healthy bones and teeth and young children living in Ireland don’t get enough of it in the winter months. Interestingly, the new advice is that children aged one to four take a vitamin D supplement every day from Halloween (31st October) to St Patrick’s Day (17th March), in addition to consuming fortified foods such as milk, yoghurts and breakfast cereals with added iron (where appropriate) as part of a balanced diet.

 

 

 

The following are the 9 main messages from the guidelines:

  1. Healthy eating habits can last a lifetime - This age is the perfect age to teach your child healthy eating habits for life. Lead by example. If you eat a variety of healthy foods, your child will be more likely to do the same.
  2. Small tummies need small servings - 1 to 4 year old children have small tummies. They can only eat small amounts. Offer them 3 small meals and 2 to 3 healthy snacks every day. All of their food and drink needs to be nourishing.
  3. Portion size matters - Be guided by your child’s appetite. Use it to help you decide how much food to offer them.  Follow the Children’s Food Pyramid guide to servings for portion sizes.
  4. Milk is a key food - Milk is a key food in the diets of 1 to 4 year old children. Offer your child three servings of milk, yogurt or cheese every day.
  5. Limit ‘treat’ foods - Foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt can be linked to being overweight in childhood. If you decide to give your child these foods offer them in TINY amounts and only once a week.
  6. Offer water and milk as drinks - Avoid sugary drinks like some cordials and fizzy drinks. Sugary drinks are not good for your child’s teeth.
  7. Have a regular daily routine - Having regular times for meals and snacks sets up healthy eating habits for life like starting every day with a healthy breakfast.
  8. More vitamin D needed in winter months - Young children don’t get enough Vitamin D in winter. They need 5 micrograms vitamin D only - either drops or liquid- every day from Halloween (31st Oct) to St Patrick’s Day (17th March).
  9. Make sure your child gets enough iron - Offer your child red meat three times a week and choose breakfast cereals with added iron (12mg/100g) most days of the week. 1-3 year olds who are small for their age may need extra iron, so talk to a health professional for advice.

 

The full suite of resources to help parents and guardians, healthcare professionals and creche managers is available on gov.ie/healthyireland and on www.mychild.ie. The development of these resources will ultimately help improve the health and wellbeing of children and their families.