Watching the cartoon character Popeye eat spinach really does encourage children to eat more of the green leafy vegetable in real life it has been reported.

In the cartoon, Popeye the Sailor man, eats cans of spinach to give himself extra strength and becomes stronger once he has eaten.  It has been found that when children watched the cartoon, and saw him eat spinach, they copied and did the same. They too wanted to eat spinach, despite historically not wanting to.

According to a study published in the medical journal Nutrition & Diet, researchers studied children aged 4 and 5 years old.  They looked at their diet of fruit and vegetables before and after the study.  All 26 children were encouraged to plant their own seeds, tave tasting parties and watch Popeye cartoons.  The Professor in charge of the study said their intake of vegetables almost doubled!  In addition, the children become more interested overall in the fruit and vegetables forming part of their diet.

Teachers were also encouraged to get involved and were asked to be role models at lunch time in shcoold.  Teachers were invited to eat fruit and vegetables at meal times with the children.  It was reported by parents that even the talking about vegetables increased after the children were involved in the study.  They also came home proud from school having eaten their vegetables at lunchtime.

Children generally love dried fruits such as apricot, apple, pear and raisins, and they make a great snack, helping kids consume their '5-a-day', but be aware that many dried fruits contain high levels of sulphites which could be detrimental to their health.  Sulphites (or sulfites) are commonly used on dried fruits to preserver them.  You can't detect them, but if they have been used then the list of ingredients should state this fact.

Sulphites can cause breathing difficulty soon after consumption and you should be especially careful with young children who suffer asthma and who may be more acutely affected by sulphites.  Whilst we don't suggest that you don't give dried fruit to children, it is good to be aware of symptoms should a reaction occur.  You may also want to shop specifically for 'preservative free' dried fruits - inspect the labels for such products.

All children under five will continue to have the chance to get free milk in preschool settings according to the recent announcement from Downing Street.  The Government has confirmed that 1/3 pint of milk will be given to all under fives who attend a day care setting.

It had been reported that Anne Milton, UK Health Minster, intended to scrap the scheme on the grounds of cost.  It currently costs around £50m (double what it was five years ago).  By 2011/12 it is expected to cost around £59m a year.  Instead of providing milk, the value of Health Start vouchers were to be increased, which would help the poorest families rather than all under fives no matter what their parent's income level.

Milk is vital to children's development.  It contains vitamins and minerals that are important for growth and development as well as calcium which is important for healthy teeth and bones.

However, Downing Street has confirmed that free milk is set to stay!

Going out to dinner with your children needn't leave you with indigestion; before we had children, many of us used to watch in horror as parents struggled with their children, shouting at them to sit down and force-feeding them with food they refused to eat. Perhaps worse, we watched as they just let the children run riot in the restaurant and did nothing!

You don't need to turn into one of those embarrassed parents when it comes to taking your children, however little, out to dine. If you take the time to follow a few tips, you will be the proudest parent as they sit and eat nicely.

So make it easy on them (and you!) by bearing in mind these pointers:

• Choose an appropriate restaurant especially if its your first time out.
• Make sure there is a menufor the kids.
• Take along any special juice cups, or small cutlery if this will make it easier and more familiar for your little one.
• Take along plastic plates if you fear the restaurant crockery may end up on the floor!  Plastic is quieter and less likely to draw attention if it falls and it will not result in a stroppy waiter having to clear up broken china.
• Check there is something that your child likes on the menu before you book.
• Try not to use a restaurant as a place to experiment with new flavours - unless your child is used to this.
• Don't eat too late or arrive at the time when your child usually eats. Bare in mind it may take some tome to get a table, settle quickly and have the food ordered and served.  Although being hungry is useful, you don't want them screaming for sustenance! So, eat early to avoid any meltdowns!
• Take colouring books/crayons (that don't stain so no felt pens!) to amuse them. Draw your dinner, or the waiter's face! Even use paper napkins if you like.
• Take some small toys (that sit neatly on a table) in case there is a wait.
• Request a corner or edge table rather than one right in the middle of the room so as not to draw attention to yourselves.
• Ask for plenty of napkins ready to mop up any spills or dribbles!
• When you are seated, hand over any wine glasses, ornamental candles or anything that could cause your little one to reach and pull...just in case!
• Try and visit the toilet before you start eating so you avoid interrupting your meal.
• Don't stay too long and push them too far! If they are used to a quick meal, don't expect them to languish for hours!
• Have a test run! If you are out for an important meal, then have a test run in a coffee shop or supermarket café before hand. Get used to the idea of waiting, of sitting and of eating in a strange place.
• Don't be too hard on them, but make it clear you expect them to behave.

Enjoy!

Smita Srivastava has taken 'making food fun' to an extreme - we've all laid out vegetables into a smiley face, or cut toast into the shapes of animals in order to encourage our children to eat them, but Smita has taken food craft to a new level to encourage eating in her household!  Smita writes a blog called Little Food Junction which pictures some of her amazing craft-quality food.  Most of her cuisine wouldn't look out of place in a gallery rather than on a plate.  Smita has become one of those internet sensations, go along to her blog and marvel at her creativity!

Why not try recreating some of Smita's artwork at home and get your little one involved.  No matter how fussy they were when you set out, they are sure to delight in eating creations that look this tasty!

There are times when you need to be getting on with preparing the next meal and you have your little ones snapping around your ankles getting ever so slightly in the way - if you can sit them down at a table or on the floor and keep them occupied, then you'll find that you can get on with your work that much more easily! Here's a great idea to help occupy your toddlers in the kitchen...

Take a mixing bowl and add a small handful of three or four different types and shapes of dried pasta - bows, tubes, spirals, twists and so on.  Mix them all up.  Give your little one a muffin tray and have them sort the pasta back into the right shapes, filling the cups in the muffin tray with each of the different types of pasta.  Hopefully this will keep them occupied for some time and they will enjoy this as much as doing a puzzle.

For older children you can make the challenge a little harder by using rice, lentils and other smaller dried foods amongst the pasta.

This is a great activity to let your children loose on every time you want to cook in the kitchen and they want to 'cook' too!  This activity incorporates shape matching and encourages their fine motor skills as they have to pick up small pieces of pasta and place them in the right place.

Don't have a battle at mealtimes, everyone at some point has a bit of trouble with a fussy eater in the house so the first thing to remember is keep cool about it.  You are not alone in your struggle to get food down a stroppy toddler or a moody and tired pre-schooler. Don't think your child will starve if they don't eat properly for a few days... they won't!  They may be genuinely not hungry or a bit poorly, so don't get angry with them and claim they are being defiant or naughty, this may not be the case.  And, don't blame yourself.

Many fussy phases pass, so don't worry for the first few days.  If eating is becoming a problem on a frequent basis and some difficult habits are forming, then try some of these tips:

1. Play with food: allow your toddler to handle the food and roll peas or fly carrots like planes.  If it gets them eating then allow it!  Don't be too strict.
2. Give small amounts of lots of choice: so have a few sorts of vegetables for them to choose from.  Try using a compartmentalised plate or a muffin tray and fill each hole with something different!
3. Try giving 4-6 smaller meals a day rather than the usual 3 large meals.  Healthy snacking is just as nutritious and possibly better for smaller tummies to cope with.  Grazing minimises low blood sugar so will lessen any undesirable or difficult behaviour too.
4. Make the food fun.  Cut bread into strange shapes (eat your mountains or bread crown sounds a bit ore fun!).  If you can cut into shapes of use cookie cutters to make sandwiches or toast then do.
5. Or get them cutting things themselves (give plastic, blunt knives to cut cooked carrot) and the food is more likely to disappear. Or, get them spreading their own spread onto bread.
6. Use fun plates and even get some party plates to serve a meal on.  Pretend its a party!
7. Call in an older cousin or friend who eats well and have a meal together.  See if any good eating habits rub off!
8. Sitting on a chair with dangling feet is something that toddlers don't enjoy (try sitting on a stool for a whole meal) so place a step or box under their feet to support them.  This may keep them still a while longer and many help them concentrate more on eating and less on wriggling.

If eating problems persist and really do become a barrier, then you may want to seek medical or professional help, but on the whole, eating fads come and go and this is a normal part of growing up.

'Pick your own' fruit and vegetable farms make for a wonderful day out, and it's only as expensive as your appetite is big!  This time of year is perfect for taking the children along to a farm and sharing with them the delight of picking and digging their own crops.  If you don't know of any PYO farms near you, then use Google to try and find one.

Crops on offer will vary from farm to farm, but typically you'll find:-

• Berries which might include raspberries, strawberries, redcurrants, blackcurrents, blackberries etc.
• Other fruits such as apples, pears and plums
• Vegetables like carrots, cabbages, cauliflowers, spinach, sweetcorn, potatoes and onions
• Various beans: peas, broad beans, dwarf beans, runner beans, french beans, mange tout and sugar snap peas
• Squashes such as butternut squash, courgettes, marrows and pumpkins

The crops on offer will vary throughout the season which will run from around May to October time.

Children will delight in the fun of a day out at a fruit and vegetable farm, and the experience of choosing and picking their own produce helps them to learn about the food cycle.  When you're out in the fields at a farm, you can undertake other activities too to extend your trip.

Don't forget to take your camera and upload pictures of your day into your Daily Diary at ToucanLearn!

Two thirds of our body is made up of water, so it seem logical that we need to drink enough fluids to keep that level topped up especially in the hot weather - this advice is particularly important for children too!  Everyone loses fluids throughout the day by sweating and urinating, so in hot weather it's critical that we don't dehydrate.

Watch out for symptoms and signs of any side effects of dehydration in your little ones throughout the day.  Thisis particularly important if they aren't able to talk as they won't be able to tell you how they are feeling,

Symptoms of dehydration include:

• a feeling of light-headeness
• passing darker urine than normally
• feeling thirsty

Side effects of dehydration:

• headaches
• feeling tired and light headed
• feeling dry in the mouth and reducing the amount of saliva you produce
• becoming more vulnerable to picking up coughs and colds (saliva is one of the body's main defenses against viruses)
• physical fatigue
• mental fatigue

Fun Drinks

Make sure that your little ones continue taking fluid throughout the day.  Here are some ideas to make drinking water a bit more fun so that they don't find drinking too much of a chore:-

• Add coloured ice cubes (make them with food colouring or fruit juices) or a slice of lemon to their water
• Give water a slight zing by Squeezing in some lemon or lime juice
• Keep a jug of water in the fridge to keep it icy cold
• Keep a bottle of water with a 'sports top' with you when your out and about, your little ones will like the novelty of drinking from a bottle!

Hydrating Foods

You can also offer foods with high water content, here are some great hydrating foods for a hot day:-

• Slices of water melon
• Grapes (cut in half for little children)
• Ice lollies (read this post for some fun ideas on how to make your own!)
• Cucumber sticks
• Red, orange and green pepper 'traffic light' sticks
• Summer fruits, especially raspberries and strawberries
• Tropical fruit slices: melon, pineapple, kiwi, mango, papaya

Enjoy the sun with your children, but make sure you all stay hydrated!

On a hot day, the children will enjoy nothing more than a lovely refreshing ice lolly but rather than spending a fortune on shop bought ones throughout the summer, why not make your own at home?  At least you know what's gone into them and can make sure that they are healthy!  Start by buying some lolly sticks and moulds from a supermarket or other store.  Here are some recipe ideas:-

• Fruit juice lollies: for the most simple lollies, just pour fruit juice into the mould and insert a stick. Beware that pineapple juice doesn't freeze on its own but you can mix it with other juices. Make multi-coloured lollies by pouring in a little orange juice, let that freeze for a few hours, then add a red juice (blackcurrant, raspberry, cranberry etc).
• Make traffic light lollies by layering pureed strawberry, pureed peach and pureed kiwi on top of one another, freezing for about 2 hours between each layer.  If you find they need sweetening, add a little honey to each puree.
• Yoghurts and fromage frais freeze into delicious creamy lollies - pour the contents into your moulds or, for the little fromage frais pots, simply take off the lid, place a lolly stick in and freeze them in their own pots!
• Fruit smoothies also make for a delicious frozen feast, if you have your own juicer then juice a variety of fruits and banana to create your own fruit smoothie and freeze to make lovely lollies!
• Make milk lollies by using a milk base and flavouring with fruit puree or even cocoa.  Semi-skimmed milk freezes better than full fat milk, just make up a milk drink and pour into your moulds.
• Frozen bananas make a novel change from lollies, just peel a bananana, wrap it loosely in foil and place in the freezer.  Either enjoy them as they are or use them as toppings on yoghurt or other puddings - frozen bananas have a lovely creamy texture to them, almost like ice-cream!

Once you're in the habit of making your own lollies, you'll start experimenting by freezing all sorts of drink, fruit and yoghurt combinations!  Be creative and give the children a summer treat!

How frequently do you see the words 'No Added Sugar' splashed across products in the supermarket, but perhaps more importantly, do you know what it means?  Don't automatically think that products with 'no added sugar' are good for your children - this may be far from the truth!

'No Added Sugar' refers to the fact that no refined sugar has been put into the product.  However, this does not mean that the product is necessarily healthy, or indeed that it is even low in sugar!  Such products are able to state this even if they have high levels of naturally occuring sugar.  Natural sugars include:-

• Lactose: found naturally in milk
• Sucrose: sugar that is usually refined into granulated sugar, occurs in sugar cane, sugar beet and other plants
• Glucose: natural sugar found in carbohydrates, including rice, grains, potatoes, fruit and vegetables
• Fructose: natural sugar found in fruit and vegetables
• Honey: made from nectar, mostly fructose and glucose sugars
• Maple Syrup: made from the sap of maple trees, mostly sucrose

Fruit has high concentrations of natural sugar so a fruit juice may not need to be sweetened, but it could still have a high sugar content.

'No Added Sugar' can also be applied to food products that have been sweetened with other artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame, saccharine or sucralose.  Most 'No Added Sugar' fruit squashes contain artificial sweeteners, some of which are suspected of being linked to their own long term health issues.

Our modern diet contains much higher levels of all types of sugar than our ancestors ever consumed.  Over consumption of different sugars has been linked to many different health problems including obesity, diabetes, heart, liver and kidney disease and tooth decay and plaque.

Be aware of the different sugars in foods and fruit juices, and don't automatically associate the label 'No Added Sugar' with being a healthier product.  Babies and children should be given fruit juice in moderation, and generally diluted with water.  The best drink of all for them is plain water becuase that has none of the sugar contained in squashes, fruit juice or milk.

Over the last few years, the quantityof packaging surrounding food we buy has grown and grown - plastic cartons, film sleeves, cardboard boxes, moulded supports and, in some cases, all of the above!  We may be recycling more and more, but why do the supermarkets use so much packaging which we then just throw it in the recycling bins?

Why so much packaging?

1. Product quality:  Well, it seems that all this packaging is 'necessary' to keep food in the perfect condition that we, as consumers, expect.  They protect delicate fruit and vegetable from being squashed and bumped and that helps to preserve the food.
2. Product life: Why do cucumbers come in a plastic film?  Because it means they will stay fresh for 14 days rather than just three.  Packaging helps keep things fresh for a longer period.
3. Information: the packaging provides information useful to customers about the good inside: nutrition, cooking instructions, provenance etc.
4. Branding: packaging can turn a regular product into a high end luxury item, all the supermarkets have 'value' ranges, and they have 'gourmet' high end ranges - whilst the products are sometimes differentiated by the ingredients, sometimes there is no distinction other than the way the products are packaged.

How can we help?

Older preschoolers can be taught about different materials and where they come from.  They should also be taught about the scarcity of resources and the value of recycling.  When we grew up as children, recycling was almost unheard of and we thought there was enough oil to make plastic for generations to come.  Only more recently have we realised that the earth's resources are finite, and our children should have this sense of scarcity instilled in them from their earliest years so that consideration for resource use and the importance of recycling just become a part of their everyday thinking.

What steps can we take to help instill this knowledge?  On a shopping trip, and when disposing of the resulting packaging and other waste, take the steps outlined below and explain to your little one why you are doing each:-

1. Don't take the hangers home when you buy clothes.  Leave them to be re-used.
2. Choose concentrated liquids (squash and fabric conditioner) which means less carton and is lighter to get home too!
3. Take your own carrier bags to use again
4. Choose to shop in your local farm shop or green grocers where fruit and vegetables are not pre-packaged!
5. Recycle all you can.  The following can all be recycled and if it's not collected from your home there will be recycling collection points nearby that where you can leave these:-
   
   • cardboard and paper
   • glass jars and bottles
   • aluminum cans
   • steel tins and drink cans
   • plastic milk bottles and all household plastic bottles
   • drinks cartons
6. Make sure you look at the recycle properties of your packaging because things change all the time and packaging that once was not recyclable, may now be!

It's worth doing your bit even if it takes a little extra effort.  To really make you feel good, why not save some cartons and boxes and let your little one loose on them.  Explain about recycling to them and try to encourage them to recycle too.

• Build towers and knock them down.
• Try putting them in a line by size: biggest to smallest.
• Sort by colour or shape.
• Jump on them to watch them flatten.
• Roll a ball at them and see how many you can hit.
• And, best of all, make models with them!

Have fun!

Eczema is a condition found in about 15-20% of children where dry, itchy patches of skin become uncomfortable, irritated and sore.  There is much discussion about the reason why eczema is so common but scientists do not know definitively why or how it occurs.

There is also much talk about how we can prevent eczema or make it less severe even before a child is born.  It  appears to run in families, suggesting a genetic predisposition, and scientists are researching whether anything can be done to prevent or reduce it: should we avoid certain foods, or are there ways to adapt our lifestyles to reduce the impact?

Here are a few tips:

Breastfeeding exclusively for the first four months of a baby's life may help to protect against eczema.  Research has shown that this is the case and that longer term breastfeeding protects against other allergies too.  The Government recommends breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months of a baby's life.

Cow's milk can have an allergic reaction and cause eczema in children.  However, if you fear this may be the case, you need to discuss it with your doctor as cows milk shouldn't be removed from a child's diet without careful consultation.  Even formulas that contain cow's milk could induce an allergic reaction, but again consult your doctor.  Soya based formula and goat's milk formula are not recommended but again, the doctor can advise.

Certain foods you eat while breast-feeding may result in a flare-up and if you suspect certain foods to be a trigger, you should consult your doctor.  There is no conclusive evidence to support this, but it may be the case.  Don't change your diet unless you have first discussed it with your doctor.

Probiotics as a supplement or in food such as yoghurt has been shown to reduce the chance of your child developing eczema.  Research continues in this area.

What can be done to help the situation?

Keep a diary - to help identify if food or other activities or environments trigger a bad reaction or flare up.

House mites are believed to trigger eczema although the evidence is inconclusive.  Try to reduce dust in the home by using a damp cloth rather than a dry one when cleaning.  Use cotton sheets and wash them at a high temperature each week.  Vacuum the mattress weekly and air the room frequently.

Wear cotton clothing as synthetic fibres may make things worse.

Keep cool and avoid overheating as this can make eczema more severe.  Keep homes warm but not hot.

Keep nails short to prevent children scratching too much.

Eczema can be a very difficult condition to live with, at best it's uncomfortable whilst severe eczema may have a severe impact on your child's ability to develop normally as they will be constantly distracted by the pain.  Whilst there is no final cure, follow the advice above and you may be able to relieve the symptoms.  Can you tell us any other tips that have helped relieve symptoms in your own children?

Just because children are smaller, don't think that this means they need only small amounts of water.  Water is, without doubt, one of the most important nutrients for children even though when we read about children and nutrition, it's often left out.  Water keeps them healthy, keeps them hydrated in order for their body to function and keeps them on form at school and nursery.  Dehydration leads to a reduction in mental and physical performance.  And, long term chronic dehydration may cause health problems and illnesses later in life.

Many pre-schools and nurseries have inadequate resources for children to have access to water so parents should encourage their children to drink regularly at home and try to encourage lots of good drinking at their nursery too.  In hot weather, when exercising or running around in the playground, children should especially drink more.  Even a small degree of dehydration can reduce their performance and well-being.

Although children are physically smaller than adults, they need to consume plenty of water.  Research states that older children age 11-14 should drink about 3 litres a day.  For toddlers it depends on their weight.  It is said that they should drink about 1½ ounces of water per pound of body weight.

Children should drink more often and even when they don't feel thirsty.  Because their body is less developed than ours, by the time they feel thirsty, dehydration may have already set in.  Headaches, irritability and drowsiness are all symptoms.

Why Is Water So Important?

Adults are made up of 50% water and for infants the figure is closer to 75%, so water for toddlers is vital in order to keep healthy.  Water also cools down a hot body, lubricates joints and make muscles work more smoothly.

What counts?

If your child won't drink liquids, make sure they eat lots of water rich foods: soups, vegetables, milky drinks, smoothies etc.  Or, add a splash of juice to make it a bit more tasty!

Tips to get your toddler drinking:

• Get a snazzy cup or bottle for them to drink from
• Keep the bottle of water in the fridge so its nice and cold
• Add some ice or slices of orange or lemon and serve from a pretty jug.  You can even get fun shapes.   (just make sure they don't choke, though!)
• Use special straws

Do anything to get them drinking.  It's vital!

Food safety advice tends to vary over time - some foods deemed unsafe to eat at one time may become positively beneficial at others, but there is always advice on some foods that should be avoided during pregnancy.  Mostly such foods suffer increased exposure to dangerous bacteria, and if not stored properly between manufacture and consumption, they could pose a serious health risk to a pregnant mum to be.

Until August 2009, government advised that pregnant women should avoid peanuts for fear that consumption might be a cause of intolerance in children.  This advice has changed now because science is not certain that this is a causal effect of allergies, indeed there is growing evidence that consumption of peanuts during pregnancy may actually reduce the likelihood of babies suffering peanut allergies.

Some foods such as soft cheeses and pâté should be avoided because there is an increased risk that they may carry listeria, a very dangerous bacteria to pregnant women.  Pâté also contains high levels of vitamin A, a vitamin found in liver, which is also best avoided during pregnancy.  High levels of vitamin A may have a negative impact on your baby's neurological development.  For the same reason, you should avoid taking fish liver oils and eating liver in any other form.

Pregnant women should also be cautious against eating raw or undercooked foods, especially eggs, meats and shellfish.  These all pose a higher risk to bacteria and viruses, such as salmonella.

Finally, certain sea fish may contain harmful levels of mercury to an unborn baby - avoid tuna, shark, swordfish and marlin whilst pregnant.  High levels of mercury can affect neurological development in your baby.

Many other foods often considered dangerous actually pose no risk at all, these include:-

• Processed (rather than homemade) mayonnaise and salad dressings will be made from pasteurised eggs
• Hard and increasing numbers of soft cheeses are also made with pastuerised milk nowadays
• Yoghurts and probiotic drinks are also made from pasteurised milk
• Spicy foods pose no danger to unborn children
• Honey is suitable for pregnant women but shouldn't be given to babies under 1 year
• Ice cream is also made from pasteurised milk and poses no risk to pregnant women

If you are pregnant, you will be looking after yourself and paying more attention to diet than usual, but most foods are perfectly safe to consume, you don't have to change your diet radically just because you're expecting a baby.  Exercise caution, but don't stifle your lifestyle!