From the Scholastic Bookshelf: How to Talk to Your Child About Healthy Eating

As a parent, it’s important to expose your child to a variety of healthy foods that will nourish their growing bodies and brains. 

Fortunately, learning about food is an exciting and pleasurable experience. As children discover new ingredients, flavors, and cultural traditions, you can discuss which foods fuel your body best and help safeguard your health. 

For its 100th anniversary, Scholastic spoke with experts to identify a set of articles and tips that make starting a conversation with your child about healthy eating easier. These resources are part of a broader initiative, called the Scholastic Bookshelf, created for Instagram to raise awareness around contemporary issues affecting children today.

Learning What’s Healthy — and What to Limit 

Teen nutrition coach Haile Thomas shares her passion for good eating habits in “Healthy-Eating Expert” from Scholastic ScienceWorld magazine. While she’s been helping her mom cook since age 5, it was when her dad was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes that she understood the powerful correlation between diet and health. At age 12, she founded her own organization — Healthy Active Positive Purposeful Youth, or HAPPY — to spread the word about eating well. 

“We teach kids about plant-based nutrition — focusing on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains — and how food can fuel their potential,” Thomas says. In 2017, she became the youngest certified integrative nutrition health coach in the U.S.

“Who Can Say No to This?” in Scholastic Choices magazine sets the record straight on sugar intake — and warns against hidden quantities of the sweet stuff lurking in packaged foods. Food manufacturers have added sugar to 74 percent of packaged-food items on the market to make them taste better. Your child may be surprised to learn that sugar is added to products they may not expect, like deli meats, salad dressing, and yogurts. 

Eating Well Outside the Home

School lunch is a hot topic, especially in the U.S., where federal guidelines and a high percentage of free-lunch recipients leave little money in school budgets for serving high-quality, nutrient-dense foods. 

“Can this Lunch be Saved?” in Scholastic Choices magazine highlights three students who sought to improve the standards of their schools’ cafeterias.

Chef Ann Cooper has advice for students who want better meals from their schools: Do your research, involve the necessary adults, and keep it positive.

“Don’t just say the food is gross,” Cooper says. “Give examples of other schools that serve better food. Suggest solutions.”

Be sure to visit the Scholastic Bookshelf for more resources on healthy eating and other must-discuss topics. If you’re planning to talk with your child about other complex topics and seek tips or book recommendations, visit our Tough Topics hub. You’ll find a wealth of advice from Scholastic editors to help you navigate challenging conversations thoughtfully. Recent topic additions include:

• Anxiety
• Bullying
• Courage