Parents dread family mealtimes as they worry their kids will complain about the food

dailystar.co.uk:

Home-Start UK to launch Healthy Happy Homes – a programme designed to help families improve their health and wellbeing. Joanne Lunn, a nutritionist for the Partnership, said: “We know mealtimes can be really stressful for families, with parents worried they aren't getting the balance of foods right, or that fussy eating will get in the way of eating healthily.“Small changes to how families approach meals can make a big difference.“We’ve shared some of our top tips with Home-Start volunteers – such as getting children involved in meal planning and preparation, letting children select their own food from a communal bowl, or serving sauces on the side.“Easy changes like this really can make mealtimes more enjoyable for everyone.”The study also found feeding the children too much sugar, not enough vegetables, and a meal which lacks variety, are among the top concerns parents have.And 56% struggle to get their child to eat a healthy balance of fruit, vegetables, protein and carbohydrates.Nearly three-quarters (73%) of children have even been known to ask for a takeaway over a home cooked meal.Vegetables are considered the hardest food to get a child to eat (42%), followed by proteins such as fish, eggs and lean meat (22%), and healthy carbs such as brown bread or wholegrain rice (17%).Sprouts, mushrooms, olives and onions are the foods children are most likely to fuss over at dinner.While others will pick out or refuse to eat prawns, broccoli, couscous and salmon.In a bid to keep the children happy, half of parents find it easier to pull something out of the freezer for convenience, while 29% serve up sweets and chocolate, and 28% will opt for a ready meal.And to get the whole family eating well, those prepared to serve.