Q: What size portions do my children need?

A: You don’t want to provide children with too little to meet their needs for growth. On the other hand, servings that are too large tend to overwhelm children, and they may have trouble eating all of them. Serving small portions to young children is often the best way for them to learn to eat only until satisfied, instead of overeating.

Start kids off with less and encourage them to ask for more if they’re still hungry. For each year of age, the American Dietetic Association (ADA) recommends one tablespoon of every food offered at a meal. That means three-year-olds would start with three tablespoons of every food offered, and if they eat it all, they can ask for more.

Don’t make the mistake of scolding children for not finishing all you have served. If you view this as a “waste” of food, serve less instead of forcing them to overeat. Respect your children’s ability to tell when they’ve had enough. But don’t hand out snacks an hour after dinner if they are suddenly hungry because they ate too little at the previous meal. Eventually, they will learn to gauge their own appetites and get most of what they need at regular meals.

Children with behaviour difficulties and learning problems behaved better after they were offered healthier school meals and fish oil supplements, a new study has found.

It’s the latest evidence that children’s diet does affect their behaviour. In the new research 28 pupils aged 10 to 16 at the Norfolk County Council special school in Norwich were studied for six months. The pupils were offered healthier meals which contained less sugar and salt and fewer transfats, preservatives and additives and were also encouraged to take supplements containing omega 3 and omega 6 essential fatty acids.

The children’s behaviour improved dramatically compared with the previous six months. (A good liquid children’s fish oil is called OmegaBerry and as the name suggests contains fish oil and berries which gives it a pleasant taste. Many children can’t or won’t take capsules and liquids usually taste so bad children won’t swallow them – for details call 01892 507598.)