Nurturing children’s healthy eating

Because global health depends on the health of today’s children, the Danone Institute International has joined forces with experts to develop a unique perspective on nurturing healthy eating habits in children.

Dietitians, nutritionists, paediatricians, psychologists, sociologists and public health professionals have come together to review existing evidences and discuss innovative strategies to empower families and parents to make positive decisions for nurturing healthy eating in their children.

Empowering the role of family in nurturing healthy eating in children

Childhood is a crucial time for laying the foundations for positive and sustainable behaviours – including life-long healthy eating habits.

A family-centered approach offers a key opportunity to improve not only the pleasure of eating but also health
outcomes, both on an individual and public health scale. These principles underlie this DII Nurturing Children’s Healthy Eating approach, recognising the pivotal role of families in promoting and supporting healthy eating.

The aim is to empower families in their role by communicating a shift in focus from “what we eat” to “how we eat”.

Furthermore, three key pillars have been identified to support this aim:

• Positive parental feeding – shaping and building healthy eating habits
• Eating together – a key element of health promotion in children
• Healthy home food environment – creating the setting for healthy eating

The DII believes that information pertaining to these three pillars should be communicated through positive practical support and underpinned with the importance of the pleasure of eating and the need to preserve the planet.

This approach is shared through a key document, “Nurturing children’s healthy eating: empowering the role of families”.

Many conferences are also organized to share this approach. Discover online the presentations and/or videos.

Hands-on guide

The Danone Institute International has also developped a guide helping the professionals to develop useful and successful education tools in nutrition.

Discover and download the guide