During the first year of life, the babies' nutrition comes mainly from either the breast milk or the formula milk that they are given. This will cover the nutrition needed by the babies to grow. Both children and adults need nutrition to grow but it is just that the needs are different in types and quantities. Nutrition values can also come from the baby foods that are introduced to them from the age of four months.

Little children learn best by imitating their parents thus if they see their parents enjoying fruits and vegetables, chances are they will also learn to like these healthy food choices. Therefore, it is important that parents eat a lot of vegetables and fruits at the dinner tables and also talk to the children about the goodness of these healthy foods. However, parents must remember never to force their children to eat these foods as it will only cause the children to dislike these healthy food choices.

As children grow, they will learn the eating patterns from observing and imitating their parents and thus develop food choices. They develop tastes for foods that are served at the family dinner table. You should never force a child to eat a food, but it is fair to insist that they at least taste the food. ("If you don't like it, you don't have to eat it.") This approach gives children the opportunity to adjust their food preferences to include healthy food choices.

I remember that my mother was a picky eater and "didn't eat" a whole list of foods. I never knew it until I was grown up that my parents simply did not make an issue of my mother disliking certain foods.

However, one important point that parents must note though is the quantity given to each individual child. It must be related to the level of activity undertaken by the child. We definitely do not want our children to become obese. Parents must take note of the amount of calories present in the food given to the child. Children need to be involved in physical activities that correspond to the amount of calories taken in. Therefore, 'how much' is taken in by the child is of equal importance to 'what food' is taken in.

It is essential that parents pay special attention to the nutritional values in the foods when they prepare and serve the foods to their children. Try hard to limit "junk food" and "fast food." Especially when the children are still very young, parents should refrain from introducing these unhealthy foods to them. The right portion, together with the sufficient amount of nutrition, will teach the child the importance of eating right from an early age. This will prevent weight problems and unhealthy food relationships in the future.