National Nutrition Week: Teaching Children About The Importance Of Vegetables

At Only About Children, we believe that proper nutrition plays a pivotal role in a child’s physical and mental development.

National Nutrition Week, from October 15th to October 21st, 2023, provides an excellent opportunity to celebrate and educate your children about the importance of vegetables in a fun and engaging way.

A key highlight of National Nutrition Week is the “Try For 5″ campaign, an annual initiative by Nutrition Australia aimed at raising awareness about the vital role of vegetables in promoting good health.

This year, “Try For 5” encourages us to ‘Get the most out of your veg,’ offering a wonderful chance for families to get involved.

Understanding The Significance Of National Nutrition Week

National Nutrition Week is a reminder for families to focus on making healthy food choices, with a specific focus on incorporating more vegetables into their daily meals.

Why vegetables, you ask? Well, they are nutritional powerhouses!

Vegetables are packed with essential nutrients, including fiber, vitamins, minerals, and special compounds called phytochemicals. Incorporating a variety of vegetables into your family’s diet can help both you and your children stay strong, support heart health, and reduce the risk of conditions like Type 2 Diabetes and heart problems.

Introducing vegetables to your children from an early age is giving them a lifelong advantage in healthy eating that can benefit them throughout their lives.

Try For 5

So, how can your family participate in the “Try For 5” campaign during National Nutrition Week? Here are some ideas to get started:

Discover New Vegetables: Use this week as an opportunity to introduce your family to exciting and unfamiliar vegetables. Explore local farmers’ markets or grocery stores together and let them choose a new vegetable to try.

Cook Together: Involve your children in the kitchen. Experiment with different vegetable recipes, and let little ones have a say in what vegetables go into the meal.

You can try some of our delicious vege-packed recipes below:

MasterChef Tommy Pham’s Carrot Mac & Cheese With Zucchini

Deconstructed Tuna Bowl

MasterChef Tommy Pham’s Chicken Noodle Soup From Scratch

Delicious Spring Ham and Veggie Slice

Create Veggie Art: Transform vegetables into an art project. Craft funny faces or scenes using colourful veggies. This not only sparks creativity but also makes vegetables more appealing.

Garden Together: If you have the space, consider starting a family vegetable garden. This allows children to learn where their food comes from and engage in the process of growing their vegetables.

Set Challenges: Challenge your family to consume “Try For 5” servings of vegetables each day during National Nutrition Week. Keep track of your progress and reward your kids for reaching the goal.

Most children establish lifelong eating patterns before they even start school and National Nutrition Week presents an excellent opportunity to grow healthy eating habits and encourage your children to consider vegetables a fundamental part of their diet.

Read more about our nutrition offering here – Only About Children | Food & Nutrition (oac.edu.au)

Learn more about National Nutrition Week and how ‘Every Veg Counts’ here – Tryfor5