We all seem to be busy these days, and in our hectic modern lives we often don't make time for meals.

Rushing, making do and eating on the go all lead to unhealthier eating habits like snacking, eating fast food, TV meals, fussy eating and so on. Skipping meals is also not good for children as they may miss out on essential nutrients.

That’s why making time for regular meals is important.

It's up to you how you do this to fit with your family and lifestyle, but sticking to regular meal times really helps.

There are more suggestions on the following pages, or you can find out more by visiting Change4Life on the web or by calling 0300 1234567.

We’re all busy these days, so here are some ways to help you make time for meal time.

1. Meal times

• Try to organise the day around three regular mealtimes. It’s easier to keep kids from pestering for snacks if they know when their next meal is coming.

2. Start at breakfast

• They call it the most important meal of the day and it’s certainly a great way to give kids the energy they need to give it a kick start, so don’t let them skip breakfast. Try low sugar cereals or toast, and if you add chopped fruit or a glass of unsweetened fruit juice then that counts toward their 5 A DAY too!

3. Have a school dinner

• Having a school dinner is a great way to get kids sitting down to a proper meal. All school meals are designed to give kids the right balance of foods they need to keep healthy, and with at least 1 portions of fruit and 1 portion of veg every lunch time, they will be well on their way to 5 A DAY. Not only can you be sure that your kids aren’t wasting their dinner money on rubbish, but it’s much less hassle than making a packed lunch every day too.

4. Eat together when you can

• Children like to copy their parents, brothers, sisters and friends. So if you can get children to eat together, or you can eat with them, they can see and copy others eating a variety of foods -plus, kids enjoy it and it can save a bit of time too.

5. ‘2 snax max’

• If kids eat regular meals they shouldn’t need too much filling up in between. Some families find it useful to set a limit to the number of snacks each day. For example, saying: ‘2 snax max’, and offering just one snack in the morning and one in the afternoon fits in really well with 3 regular meals. Plus, if they’re not snacking too much, children are likely to eat up better at mealtimes.

Click here to go to the Snack Check page

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