![Ten serves of fruit and vegetables a day can help you live longer, a study has found.](/web/20170227122030im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/k/s/1/e/image.related.landscape.380x253.gukrv0.png/1487911834946.jpg)
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![Low GI Foods Essential Kids](/web/20170227122030im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/2/p/d/b/f/image.related.wideLandscape.460x259.2ojgy.gjzsl9.png/1444350556147.jpg)
Why low GI matters
Most parents know that too much added sugar in their child’s diet is not good for them but are we overlooking another type of food that is just as harmful for our kids?
![Weet-Bix recipes](/web/20170227122030im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/2/u/a/7/o/image.related.wideLandscape.460x259.2ua59.gjzsl9.png/1444350556147.jpg)
Top 5 recipe ideas to make with Weet-Bix
Muffins, pecan pie, chocolate balls, homemade granola and cookies - cooking with wholegrains doesn't have to be boring.
![Kilojoules galore ... How much do we teach kids about food?](/web/20170227122030im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/2/2/l/y/m/image.related.landscape.120x80.22lre.gjzsl9.png/1444647476998.jpg)
Dr. Joanna McMillan
Should kids be kilojoule aware?
![running](/web/20170227122030im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/2/h/i/a/1/image.related.landscape.120x80.1kgpt.gjzsl9.png/1444350556147.jpg)
![hp-back-to-school](/web/20170227122030im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/8/5/4/c/image.related.landscape.120x80.7vtt.gjzsl9.png/1444350556147.jpg)
![Making healthy choices for the whole family.](/web/20170227122030im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/3/k/u/x/f/image.related.landscape.120x80.11r6ty.gjzsl9.png/1444367268169.jpg)
Latest
![Children with ARFID avoid specific colours, textures, tastes or smells of foods.](/web/20170227122030im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/t/g/g/f/image.related.landscape.300x200.gtspzo.png/1484693329105.jpg)
The children who take picky eating to the extreme
Children with Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder avoid specific colours, textures, tastes or smells of foods, or are afraid of choking or vomiting.
![Cutting out gluten or cutting out other additives?](/web/20170227122030im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/r/y/s/x/image.related.landscape.300x200.gtry5y.png/1484695004398.jpg)
Why the 'gluten-free movement' is less of a fad than we thought
Amy Neiwirth is a Columbus-based artist who makes tiny clay models of popular foods: pizzas, cakes, waffles, even retro TV dinners.
![What happens when parents focus too much on getting kids to eat?](/web/20170227122030im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/j/3/1/g/image.related.landscape.300x200.gtj2zl.png/1482957532646.jpg)
I went overboard policing my kids' diets. Here's why I changed my ways.
I was the food police, imagining that if I could control the food he and my kids ate, I could keep us all healthy and safe.
![Children may be swayed towards buying cheaper, unhealthy food at the school canteen.](/web/20170227122030im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/g/0/p/0/image.related.landscape.300x200.gt9s43.png/1481867439315.jpg)
Why kids are buying cheap, unhealthy snacks
The first comprehensive study of pricing at school canteens in NSW found unhealthy snacks, hot food and drinks are significantly cheaper than healthy options.
![Food is nothing to be afraid of.](/web/20170227122030im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/y/u/6/l/image.related.landscape.300x200.gsyuc8.png/1480975242294.jpg)
Pleasure is good: How French children are taught to eat well
One of the most common New Year’s resolutions people make is to lose weight by dieting. The idea is that restricting the pleasures of tasty foods will lead to greater fitness and a finer physique. But if these rewards are so valuable, why is it so hard for us to stick to our resolution? Maybe the problem is that when we try to lose weight, we also lose the pleasure of eating.
![Coca-Cola took out two categories in the Shame awards for marketing unhealthy food and drinks to children.](/web/20170227122030im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/4/a/7/t/image.related.landscape.300x200.gt4a5r.png/1480913869214.jpg)
Coca-cola takes out Shame awards for marketing to children
Coca-Cola Australia is one of the worst offenders when it comes to marketing unhealthy food and drink to children, according to the results of the 2016 Parents' Voice Fame and Shame Awards.
![The causes of long-term picky eating remain poorly understood.](/web/20170227122030im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/0/c/j/r/image.related.landscape.300x200.gt0cip.png/1480456728382.jpg)
When picky eaters grow up
'It's a really scary thing to overcome. People aren't choosing to dislike food - there's a lot of shame involved. There's not a lot of empathy for picky eaters.'
![Mombies are turning to food to get them through exhaustion.](/web/20170227122030im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/j/l/6/t/image.related.landscape.300x200.gsjkmd.png/1478484736699.jpg)
Bad news for Mombies: why sleep deprivation has you reaching for the chocolate
Here's some bad news for us Mombies (mums who stay up late even though they're exhausted, because it's kid-free time): being tired could make you eat more the following day.
![Learning to appreciate food starts with understanding where it came from.](/web/20170227122030im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/h/c/g/o/image.related.landscape.300x200.gsh19k.png/1478150739174.jpg)
5 lessons I taught my children about the food on their plates
The food your child eats provides you with a valuable opportunity to teach them about
![Bribery could be effective in getting your children to form long-term healthy eating habits, finds study.](/web/20170227122030im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/d/b/y/e/image.related.landscape.300x200.gsdbvh.png/1477634296234.jpg)
Would you pay your kids to eat their fruit and vegetables? Science says it's worth a try
New research suggests that when it comes to building long-term healthy eating habits, a little incentive (read: bribery) could actually go a long way.
![Constant sugar hits in a developing brain can change the reward centres for life, leading to behavioural and mood issues ...](/web/20170227122030im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/a/o/v/w/image.related.landscape.300x200.gsaov2.png/1477437441130.jpg)
Why sugar is so much worse for teenagers’ brains
Diets high in refined sugar and saturated fat not only contribute to weight gain and associated health issues, but also have a profoundly detrimental impact on brain function.
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