Healthy eating: limit children's treats to one square of chocolate or three crisps a week

Above from left, Minister of State for Public Health and Well Being Frank Feighan TD, health promotion policy adviser Ursula O'Dwyer, Minister for Children Roderic O'Gorman TD, and Minister for Health Simon Donnelly at he launch of the 1st ever National Healthy Eating Guidlines for one- to four-year-olds at the Department of Health on Baggot Street Dublin. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

Children should only be given three crisps or half a plain biscuit a week under new heathy eating guidelines.

New advice for parents of one- to four-year-olds includes a modified food pyramid and advice on meal portions. It aims to help reduce childhood obesity.

Parents have been urged to limit treats that are high in fat, sugar and salt and should only give them in "tiny" amounts once a week. The guidelines classify one square of chocolate as one portion or parents can give their children three individual crisps, half a plain biscuit or three soft sweets each week.

Launching the guidelines, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said: "Parents are being bombarded with triggers to buy their children chocolate or crisps, you go to the shop, you go to the newsagents, you go to a petrol station and there's an awful lot of chocolate and an awful lot of processed food at child level for a reason."

However, he admitted that it would be impossible for parents to stick to the guidelines all of the time, but he hoped that it will help them make healthier choices.

"Are you going to stray from that? Of course you are," Mr Donnelly said.

The 24-page booklet for parents also stresses the importance of portion sizes and emphasises that "small tummies need small servings".

The guidelines state that frozen pizza can be high in fat so should be limited to one small slice once a week. Chicken nuggets, burgers or chips should also be avoided or limited to small amounts once a week.

Cereals, breads, potatoes, pasta and rice form the base of the new food pyramid and should be given up to four times a day for one- and two-year-old's and up to six times a day for older children.

All children under four should have three servings of milk, yoghurt or cheese each day.

Along with treats, fats and spreads should be given in very small amounts of less than one teaspoon each day.

The new guidelines state that Irish children do not get enough sunshine over the winter to produce sufficient amounts of vitamin D which is vital for healthy bones and teeth in young people.

Parents are now being advised to give their children vitamin D supplements every day from Halloween to St Patrick's Day.

Children should be offered red meat three times a week to boost their iron intake and parents should give breakfast cereals with added iron most days of the week.

"This is an initiative that's been driven by good modern science and public health. It recognises that the earlier, we can help children lead a healthy lifestyle the better," said Mr Donnelly.