While you may be conscious of not wasting food to both save money and help the environment, your children are unlikely to give quite so much thought to these things. As a result, it's important to teach your kids the importance of not wasting their food. As we’re a environmentally-responsible bunch here at The Swag, and know all about the eating habits of children, we’ve compiled the below tips to make your life a little easier when it comes to reducing how much food your kids waste:
Be Stricter on the Snacks
Children love to snack and graze as soon as they’re hungry however this can have a big impact on how much of their actual meals they consume. It’s important to be mindful of how close your children are to a meal when dishing out the, ideally healthy, snacks and rationing accordingly. If your kids are of an age where they can get their own snacks, supervision is strongly advised!
Rein in Portion Size
Even adults are guilty of ‘having eyes bigger than their belly’ at times and children are even worse for this. We can almost guarantee your children will waste less food just by giving them smaller portions. If they clear their plate and are still hungry, they can always have a small second helping!
Re-invent the Leftovers
If you have food left over from dinner, consider re-heating or re-purposing it for the next day. While children can be fussy about eating the same foods, making potato cakes from leftover mashed potato is a whole new side for your next dinner for example!
Presentation is Key
Children are very visual, and presentation can be the difference between a couple of mouthfuls eaten and a totally clean plate. Cutting fruit into small pieces instead of serving whole or cutting sandwiches in small triangles can be particularly effective when it comes to empty plates all round.
Teach Your Children about Food
Children are like sponges, constantly keen to soak up information about the world around them. If they understand more about their food and where it comes from, they may be less likely to waste it. Consider fun activities like getting your children involved in preparing and cooking meals, visiting a local farm to learn more about agriculture or starting a herb garden or compost bin. This has the dual advantage of teaching your kids more about their food and its origins and spending quality bonding time with your little ones.
Lead by Example!
Children are always copying and imitating what adults do, and this includes their behaviour at the dining table. It’s extremely important to stress the importance of not wasting food in our actions and words if we want our children to follow suit.
Here at The Swag, we’re all about looking after the environment and the health of Australians in any way we can, so we created all-natural, organic, breathable food storage bags as a plastic alternative. Check out our full range on our Shop page now!
