Family meals that support your goals

Build-your-own dinners

Meals where everyone assembles their own plate are the easiest way to feed different needs at once. They also help fussy eaters, who are more willing to try something when they are in control.

• Fajita or taco night: seasoned chicken or beef strips, peppers and onions, beans, wraps, salsa, cheese, Greek yoghurt and lettuce.
• Jacket potato bar: potatoes with tuna, chilli, beans, cottage cheese, grated cheese, sweetcorn and salad.
• Rice or noodle bowls: a base, a protein such as chicken, salmon or tofu, and a choice of vegetables and sauces.
• Homemade wrap pizzas: wraps as bases, tomato sauce, and toppings such as ham, chicken, peppers, mushrooms, sweetcorn and mozzarella.
• Pasta bar: wholewheat and white pasta, a meat or lentil sauce, a tomato sauce, vegetables and cheese.

What children and teenagers need

Children are not small adults, and they should not follow an adult's fat loss plan. They need enough energy to grow, develop and play. The NHS Eatwell Guide applies from around age 5, with a gradual move towards it from age 2. Under-5s need more energy-dense food, and skimmed or 1% milk is not suitable for them as a main drink.

For most children, a varied diet with regular meals, plenty of fruit and vegetables, starchy foods, protein foods, dairy or alternatives and limited sugary drinks and snacks is all they need. Children aged 6 months to 5 years should also have the daily vitamin A, C and D supplements the NHS recommends, unless they drink a lot of formula.

Teenagers who train or play sport need a lot of food, especially carbohydrate and protein. Most do not need protein powders or supplements, and many sports supplements are not designed or tested for under-18s. Regular meals and decent snacks, such as a sandwich, milk, yoghurt or leftovers, usually cover everything. If a teenager is losing weight, skipping meals or showing signs of an unhealthy focus on food or body shape, speak to your GP.

Fussy eaters

Fussy eating is common, especially in younger children, and usually improves with time. The NHS notes that children may need to be offered a new food many times before they accept it. Pressure, bribes and battles tend to make it worse.

• Serve a small amount of a new food alongside something they already like
• Eat the same foods yourself, without comment
• Involve them in shopping, washing and cooking vegetables
• Avoid using pudding as a reward for eating vegetables, which makes pudding more desirable
• Grate or blend vegetables into sauces, soups and bolognese as a bonus, not a replacement for offering them visibly

Our guide to eating more vegetables has more ideas that work for adults and children alike.

Language at the table

Children pick up a lot from how adults talk about food and bodies. Phrases like 'I'm being good today', 'this is bad for me' or 'I need to burn this off' teach them that food is about guilt and exercise is punishment.

Try to describe food in neutral terms and talk about what it does: protein helps muscles recover, carbohydrate gives energy for football, vegetables help you stay well. Talk about training in terms of strength, fun and feeling good rather than weight. You can be working on your own goals without making them a family topic.

Being active together helps too. Walks, bike rides, swimming and playing in the park all count. Our guide to fitness for busy parents has practical ideas for fitting your own training in.

Planning the week

Busy family weeks run far more smoothly with a basic plan. Pick five dinners on the weekend, write one shopping list, and cook double on one or two nights so there are leftovers for lunches. Two of the high protein batch cook meals cover several family dinners with very little extra effort, and our meal prep guide explains how to set up a Sunday session.

Plan around your training too. If you train at an evening class, such as a 6pm session at Lycan Strength, a slow cooker meal started in the morning or a batch-cooked dish means dinner is ready when you get home, and the family is not waiting on you.

Keep a short list of family favourites that everyone will eat, and rotate through them. It removes the nightly 'what's for tea' debate and makes the shopping list almost write itself.