These foods do not provide any essential nutrition. We don’t really need them. But they are often high in fat, sugar and salt, which makes them very attractive! And they are heavily advertised and often quite cheap.

Examples are sugary drinks, sweets, chocolate, crisps, pastry, cakes, biscuits, ketchup and ice cream.

How to eat “sometimes” foods

We suggest not thinking of these as treats or rewards, as this can make them more exciting for children. Kids will then eat more of them when they get the chance.

The same goes for thinking of them as bad or forbidden foods. This can make them attractive, but also make people feel bad for eating them. It is more important to have a healthy body image

But these foods do have a role for enjoyment and social occasions. As long as most of the food we eat is everyday food, then including a few “sometimes” foods is fine.

Lots of fat, sugar and salt is not good for our health. This leaflet has much more information about sugar

My child won’t eat anything else!

If you are concerned that your child is becoming a picky eater, then click here