Generally vegetables, fruit (apart from avocados), white fish, grains and cereal contain little or no fat. Examples of good sources of fat are listed below.

      Remember that fat is an essential part of your child’s diet, but if your child is regularly eating too much fat and you are looking to reduce the amount of fat in his or her diet, then try the following:

      * Limit cakes, biscuits and savoury snacks, which are high in fat.

      * Trim fat off meat and skin off poultry.

      * Grill, poach, steam, bake or microwave rather than fry foods.

      * Swap whole milk for semi-skimmed.

      * Choose low-fat dairy products.

      * Use vegetable oil and low-fat spreads rather than lard, butter or hard margarine.

Vitamins and minerals

      Vitamins and minerals are needed by the body for growth, repair and staying healthy. They are taken from the food we eat and absorbed by the body. Each vitamin and mineral has a specific role and should be eaten daily, as most vitamins and minerals cannot be stored by the body. For daily requirement, function and foods where the vitamins and minerals are found, see the table below.

      Although vitamins and minerals are just as important to the body as calories, and protein, carbohydrates and fat, we only need them in small amounts. As with all nutrients, if your child is eating a well-balanced diet that includes fresh fruit and vegetables they will have the daily intake of vitamins and minerals that are essential for growth, development and maintaining a healthy body and mind.

Fluid

      Notice I haven’t said water, because fluid can be obtained from many different sources including soups, fruit juices, milk, vegetables and fruit – tomatoes, grapes, melons and oranges, for example, are 90 per cent water. It is vital a child has sufficient fluid intake, as much as it is that a child eats. The human body is 63 per cent water and the brain 77 per cent. Drinking regularly, and so keeping the body and brain hydrated, is therefore essential for body and brain to function in a child or adult. By the time a child is saying they are thirsty they are already dehydrated, and even mild dehydration can cause headaches, tiredness, loss of concentration and irritability.

      Salt is added to most snacks and processed food and salt is a diuretic: that is, it makes you wee more, which results in dehydration if the lost fluid is not replaced. Children are more prone to dehydration than adults, as a result of diet (such as salty snacks) and activity (fluid is lost in sweat), and because they can forget to drink. Also, the school routine doesn’t always offer enough opportunity for children to drink during the day.

      Trials have shown that if children take a bottle of water into school, and are encouraged to drink at regular intervals during the day, there isn’t the dip in concentration and learning that is often experienced in late morning and afternoon. The ideal drink for children is water, but if your child really won’t drink water, then lightly lace it with additive-free squash or fruit juice. Your child should be drinking regularly throughout the day, and apart from the fluid obtained from soups and fruit, etc., he or she should drink 1.5–2 litres a day, or more if they are very active or the weather is hot.