Educate yourself. Find out more about good nutrition so you know what's needed for a good balanced diet. Read labels, and avoid additives that other countries have banned, or which child health specialists think are harmful. Choose organic foods, which contain no synthetic flavours or colours, and no, or very low, pesticide residues.

Be cautious over children's menus in restaurants or products packaged specially for kids. They can conceal foods made from cheap and unhealthy ingredients.

Cut down on fat in every meal. Choose lean meats and trim off visible fat. Buy low-fat cheese, yoghurt and milk. Serve high-fat foods like pies with baked potatoes and steamed vegetables rather than chips. Measure cooking oil carefully with a spoon instead of sloshing it into the pan.

Look for the 5 A DAY logo and portion indicator on food packaging. These foods have been monitored to check their fat, sugar and salt levels. Print out a copy of our fruit and veg portion list and check through it before you shop.

Give kids a good breakfast and avert the mid-morning hunger gap. Egg and wholemeal toast is great, and the oats in porridge or muesli will keep them going for hours. For a change from potatoes, add fibre to your diet with carbs like brown rice or wholewheat pasta, couscous or bulgar wheat. Or try quinoa, from health food shops — a high protein grain that's easy to cook.

Keep a selection of healthier alternatives to crisps in the cupboard as snacks for kids who are always starving. Try mixtures of nuts and raisins (make your own with unsalted nuts, sweetened with a few chocolate chips), oat cakes, dried fruits, unsulphured and organic if possible, and liquorice sticks.

Processed foods that contain fruit and vegetables, like pasta sauces, ready meals, soups and desserts, count towards your daily five. These foods are often high in salt, sugar and fat, so check labels and go easy on them.

Snacking on vegetables is easier if you've got them ready prepared. Keep carrots, celery, cucumber and peppers, washed, peeled if necessary and cut into thin pieces, or whole sugarsnap peas or baby sweetcorn in a plastic bag in the salad drawer of the fridge.

Keep the fruit bowl well stocked with seasonal fruit so it's always there when you fancy a bite. Buy some ripe and some that is under–ripe. That way you'll have a constant supply of ready–to–eat fruit over several days. Try to have more exciting fruits, like strawberries, blueberries, mangos or lychees, alongside the basic apples and pears.