It is commonly known that many of the habits we acquire during childhood stay with us as we become adults.
Consequently it is important that we influence our children's attitudes and approaches to food with the right messages to aid their development.
However, this means that many of us Brits will have to change our eating habits once we have children to set a good example - gone are the days of TV dinners and unhealthy meals.
According to Joanne Mallon, a life coach and author of Toddlers: An Instruction Manual, the best thing we parents can do to ingrain healthy eating habits in our little ones is to follow our rules ourselves.
"The number one thing parents can do is to be a healthy role model for eating habits yourself - why should your child try new things if you won't? Why should they eat a healthy meal if they don't see their parents doing the same?
"So think about what you want your child's attitude to food to be and make sure you adopt it first."
Moreover, sitting down together in the
kitchen as a family is a big part of socialising children, to ensure that they are able to sit down and share meals when they are older, according to Ms Malon.
Consequently, the kitchen should be a place that children feel comfortable in and that they associate with fun and not chores, rules and regulations.
When decorating your kitchen, ensure that eating areas are child-friendly and there are some surfaces that little ones can reach, so that they feel they feel at ease in the space and can engage with the area.
Get children cooking and undertaking activities in the kitchen as well, to allow them to associate the room with happy memories and not being forced to eat something they don't want to.
Youngsters are also more likely to eat a healthy meal if they help to make it, so integrating them into your cooking routine is a positive step to building good eating habits.
Additionally, Ms Malon advises keeping a regular eating routine to give children a sense of security.
Youth Index 2012 figures show that growing up without a daily routine, such as regular bed and meal times, can harm a person's development and school performance.
The research undertaken by the Prince's Trust revealed that one in ten people feels that their days lacked structure when growing up, with those with lower school grades more than twice as likely to claim this (26 per cent).
