03-07-2025
Nutrition for kids: Why early eating habits matter for life
Childhood lifestyle diseases are no longer rare. Hormonal imbalances, obesity, early-onset metabolic issues, and gut-related disorders are now seen in children as young as seven. While the triggers may vary, one truth stands clear: the foundation of lifelong health is built early, and it begins at the plate.
What we eat in the first few years of life becomes information for our genes, hormones, neurons, and every single cell. Food is more than fuel. It programs the body, influences how children grow, how they feel, and how they function. It wires emotional balance, metabolism, cognition, and resilience.
This is where the role of early nutrition becomes crucial — not just for growth, but as a form of preventive healthcare. The habits we build at the plate in childhood often echo through the body and mind for life. Along with building new habits, it's also important to break some key myths that still abound. Let's look at the most common ones:
Myth 1: Children will grow out of unhealthy habits.
Truth: Lifestyle diseases are beginning in childhood. Early poor habits around food, sleep, and movement can set the stage for long-term health issues.
Myth 2: Healthy food is expensive or complicated.
Truth: Some of the most powerful foods for growth and immunity are simple and affordable — millets, pulses, seasonal greens, and fermented foods rooted in Indian tradition.
Myth 3: Kids are naturally fussy eaters.
Truth: Children's taste buds are shaped by what they are repeatedly exposed to. When packaged foods high in sugar, salt, and fat become the norm, preferences follow. Parents play a powerful role by modelling balance, variety, and presence at the table.
Early Habits = Lifelong Impact
Eating patterns formed between the ages of 5 and 12 go far beyond nutritional value — they shape belief systems. A child's subconscious mind is highly impressionable during this time. The routines they follow, the foods they associate with comfort or energy, and the rhythm of their day all become embedded patterns. Simple, consistent habits — like eating fresh, local, seasonal food, respecting mealtimes, and limiting digital distractions at the table — build internal balance and resilience. These are the invisible foundations of immunity, attention span, digestion, and emotional regulation. Across India, schools are now beginning to integrate these principles into tiffin guidelines, newsletters, meal plans, and classroom conversations. Parents are using the Bharat School Menu that we launched recently as a practical framework to bring the same habits home. One participating school shared how their tiffin trends shifted after introducing monthly plans, with more children bringing balanced, home-cooked meals — a small but meaningful shift. Remember, together, we can shift the narrative from disease management to health creation and it starts with something as simple, and powerful, as what's on a child's plate.
Luke Coutinho is an integrative lifestyle expert based in Mumbai.
