Food ideas & tools

Six easy ways to eat more fruit

Stir grated apple or mashed banana into porridge. Put chopped fresh or tinned fruit on top of breakfast cereal.

Start your day with breakfast

Breakfast is the best way to power your family up for the day. Breakfast gives kids the energy to learn and play.

The benefits of breakfast

Breakfast gives kids the energy to learn better. Kids who don't eat breakfast lack focus and concentration.

Breakfast-eaters have more energy to play sport.

Health star ratings

Health Star Ratings rate the healthiness of packaged food from half a star to five stars. Shoppers can use the health stars to compare similar types of packaged foods quickly and easily.

Make your own flavoured water

Enjoy a change from drinking plain water by making delicious healthy flavoured water at home. All you need is a large plastic or glass jug and some fresh fruit or vegetables.

Other no and low sugar drinks

Water is the best choice of drink. Other low or sugar-free drinks include plain milk, tea, coffee and diet drinks.

Monkey roll for a super-speedy snack or brekkie

Bananas are the perfect snack or breakfast food for children. Who can resist the combination of bread and banana?

Colour free water

Water is sugar-free, colour-free and preservative-free. Make water the drink of choice for your whānau.

Easy ways to eat more vegetables

Try adding one or two cups of frozen vegetables to casseroles, stir-fries and mince recipes.

No added sugar on food labels

If you see no added sugar on a food or drink label, it doesn’t mean it has no sugar.

tinned tomatoes

In recipes where tomato is cooked, use tinned tomatoes instead – cheaper and easier!

Wholemeal flour

Wholemeal flour is a good choice for baking. It has more than twice as much dietary fibre and minerals and about three times the level of vitamins as white flour.

Tap water zero sugar

Tap water contains zero teaspoons of sugar. It's sugar-free and colour-free. Make water the drink of choice for your whānau.

Freezing citrus fruit

Citrus fruit, such as lemons, oranges and limes, can be frozen whole. Take them out and grate the zest (still frozen) when you need it for cooking.