Introducing seafood into a child’s diet from an early age will not only provide them with important vitamins and minerals that they need to grow, but encourage a lifelong appreciation for this tasty and nutritious food.

Fish is rich in protein, the nutrient the body needs to build strong healthy muscles and bones as well as to help repair the scrapes and scratches that are part and parcel of growing up. Protein is needed by every part of the body – skin, hair, nails, heart,  lungs as well as muscles and it is a vital nutrient for healthy development.  Children need to eat a protein food at lunch and dinner and fish can be a very healthy choice. Encouraging your children to eat seafood as part of a balanced diet will:

  • Help brain development

  • Make their bones strong

  • Help their muscles to develop properly

  • Help them reach their full height

  • Keep their skin healthy

Fish is one of the few foods the experts agree on. All the research shows that fish is a rich source of many of the nutrients needed for young bodies as well as playing an important role in helping to prevent many of the diseases of later life.

 

But my child won’t eat fish…

This is the biggest problem. Most of us already know that fish is a remarkably healthy food, with any number of potential health benefits, but how do you persuade a reluctant child to eat, or even just try, fish?

It is worth remembering that most children will refuse foods at some stage – usually around the age of 2-3 but the fact that they refused fish at this age doesn’t mean that they will never like it. Like most foods, the earlier after weaning that the child tastes the food the more likely they are to be happy eating it. One reason children may refuse fish is that they are just not used to it – parents who don’t like fish themselves may never have offered it to their children and it can be a whole new experience. Just like babies starting on solid food, children need time to get used to the new tastes and textures of fish and it may take several attempts before they will be comfortable about eating the new food.