When to eat?
It is important to establish a rhythm in the day, where meals occur at regular intervals. Children and adolescents need this regularity more than some adults, as it can help with concentration and learning. It also makes it easier to adjust portion sizes as well as eating a more varied diet. Parents and caregivers are the ones with the main responsibility in planning meal times.
We are all different, but in general children and adolescents need 3-4 meals a day, or a meal roughly every 3 hours. Toddlers and pre-schoolers often require smaller meals more frequently than adults. Grazing in between meals makes it more difficult for the body to recognise hunger and satiety, especially in younger children. It is important there is a break between meals, and that snacks offered consist of fruit, vegetables and berries.
Illustration: Kostverktøyet
The three main meals are breakfast, lunch and dinner. Adults often skip the evening meal (supper), but this can be a useful top-up in children before bedtime.
Breakfast is a good way of starting the day after a night of fasting. It provides the body with nutrients and energy. Research shows that eating breakfast improves the ability to concentrate and facilitates learning, especially in children. Skipping breakfast makes it more likely to graze and overeat later in the day.
How to make a good start to the day:
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look for wholemeal options and/or foods marked with the keyhole stamp
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choose bread, breakfast cereals, porridge that are wholegrain with little added sugar
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choose light mayonnaise, low-fat butter and reduced fat cheese as toppings/spreads
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look for keyhole marked products and/or leaner cuts of meat
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use a single layer of topping as opposed to multiple
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make fruit, vegetables and berries a natural part of the breakfast
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choose water or low-fat milk
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extra vitamin D is particularly important during autumn and winter months
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What if the child doesn't want to eat breakfast?
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explore the reasons to why this is without causing blame og increasing stress levels. Try to rise a bit earlier if time is very short in the mornings.
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try different items at breakfst to find out what is most palatable early in the day
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half an apple or a few bites of a crisp bread is a better start than nothing
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if the child doesn't eat anything at all, then make sure that lunch packs a punch with nutritious foods. Try to give the child some fruit it can eat when on way to school or when arriving
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make it a habit to eat breakfast together during the weekend
Examples of nutritious breakfast meals
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Lunch is especially important for children as well as adolesecents, as they are still growing and attending school where concentration is required at all times. It provides the body with energy and nutrients after many hours of learning. A good lunch can reduce the chances of overeating at dinner and keeps blood sugar levels more level throughout the day.
Illustration: Kostverktøyet
How to make a good packed lunch box:
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A packed lunch offers more variety and quality than what can be bought at most canteens/corner shops
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Make it the day before as it keeps well in the fridge over night
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Using wholemeal bread/rolls and wholegrain increases satiety and feeling full for longer
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Always include fruit, vegetables and/or berries. Let the child choose colours and types of fruit/veg to go in the lunch box
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Provide a selection of toppings and spreads to go on the bread (egg, chicken, reduced fat cheese, spreadable options, ham etc). Keyhole products can give a good indication of healthier toppings when comparing items.
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Let milk and water be the main sources of fluid during the day and at meals
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Other alternatives that work well in a packed lunch can be wraps, omelette with veg, pasta salads with beans/sweet corn, whole meal pita bread with veg and chicken
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What if the child doesn't want to eat lunch?
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Be curious and explore the reasons why without causing distress or blaming the child. Is there little time to eat, are there screens involved, peer pressure or too much going during the lunch break at school?
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The solutions will depend what the causes for not eating are
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If the school environment or lack of time are the main issues then teachers need to be involved
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Try to investigate solutions in cooperation with the child; offer different types of food, let the child help in making/deciding what there is for lunch
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Explore whether the child needs support in that every body, regardless of size and shape, needs food at school
These are small top-ups of energy in between the main meals, e.g. in the hours between breakfast and lunch, or lunch and dinner. They are not necessary if the child doesn't express hunger, but many children can find it difficult to distinguish between being tired/cravings and actually feeling hungry. The snacks provided can be a handful of fruit/berries/veg, a yoghurt or a smoothie and is offered midway in the day or a while after lunch, e.g. in the car on the way home from school. By implementing these small snacks, the child may find it easier to wait for dinner being made, and regulates meal portions more appropriately.
Useful tips to get started:
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Use these small in-between meals to increase the intake of fruit/veg/berries
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Many shop bought options, that are marketed as 'snacks' can contain a lot of calories and are often high in sugar
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Be prepared for the after-school tiredness and have some healthy options ready, especially before the child starts to voice frustration and hunger
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make sure that cookies, biscuits, crisps and sweets are hard to find in the hour leading up to dinner. Tidy the kitchen surfaces and make e.g fruit easy to find
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This is often the main meal in the day, and for some the only really warm meal. It offers a golden opportunity for parents/caregivers to sit down and eat with the child after a long day away from each other. The child will copy and learn from the adults, making dinner one of the most important arenas for adjusting portion size, trying new foods and guiding the child in a body positive manner.
The eat well plate
The image below is a good staring point for what a dinner plate can look like. Aim for half the plate filled with vegetables (cooked, steamed, raw, salads, tinned, boiled) . For children, using three different colours on a plate is a way of making it more fun and educational. One quarter (1/4) of the plate is filled up with complex carbohydrates and wholemeal options like pasta, wholemeal noodles, small potatoes with skin, wholegrain rice. The remaining quarter has place for protein rich sources, e.g. fish, chicken/turkey, egg, dairy, seafood, beans/pulses and lean cuts of red meat.
Illustration: Helsenorge.no
Sources: Helsedirektoratet. Slik setter du sammen et sunt kosthold. [Internett]. Oslo: Helsedirektoratet; oppdatert torsdag 15. august 2024 [hentet mandag 24. november 2025]. Tilgjengelig fra: https://www.helsenorge.no/kosthold-og-ernaring/slik-setter-du-sammen-et-sunt-kosthold/
How to get started on eating well at dinner
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Plan you meals for the week, and do the shopping with a shopping list at hand
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Try to make just enough food; saves money and makes it easier to divide the meal into appropriate portions
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Practice letting the pots and pans stay on the hob, whilst salads, vegetables and other greens stay on the table
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Let veg fill up the plate first, and always include at least one vegetable that the child enjoys to eat at every meal
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Reduce the amount of oil/butter used during cooking; spray bottles with oil are a good option
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Adjust the amount of gravy, sauce and condiments used. Are there healthier options available, e.g. swapping full fat sour cream with reduced fat creme fraiche.
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Spend time at the dinner table and offer water at all meal times
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Use cutlery, practise cutting up the food with the child and chew the food well
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Serve two smaller portions rather than one large portion as it takes time for the stomach to let the brain know it is full
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Establishing a smaller evening meal before bedtime can reduce night time cravings and grazing/snacking after dinner. Ideally, this meal should be light and smaller compared to lunch or dinner. Eating a lot of food shortly before bed can disturb out sleep, so try not to eat closer than an hour before turning in. Evening meals are generally not needed if dinner is eaten later in the day and closer to bedtime.
Many children participate in sports and other engagements in the afternoons, making dinner a stressful event. If so then switch the two around; a lighter meal between school and extra-curricular activities, followed by a larger meal when returning home when there is more time to make food and eat together.
How to get started in establishing a light evening meal
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choose wholegrain bread, oats and cereals (look for the keyhole stamp)
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If wanting slices of bread then find spreads/toppings that are low in fat and sugar, but higher in protein (cheese, reduced fat mayonnaise, lean cuts of meat, fish based spreads, healthier butter options)
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let the child choose one layer of cheese/meat/spreads on the slice of bread rather than multiple layers (e.g cheese and ham or butter, jam and cheese)
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Offer fruit, veg and berries as a part of the meal
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Practice making water or a glass of reduced fat milk the only options in terms of what to drink
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Last updated 11/24/2025