The busy parent’s guide to feeding your family well with Dame Valerie Adams and Claire Turnbull from Mission Nutrition

Putting a healthy meal on the table every night can sometimes feel like an impossible task. Between busy schedules, fussy eaters and the rising cost of groceries, it's no wonder so many Kiwi parents are wondering how to make healthy eating work for their family.

In fact, one in five working‑age New Zealanders cannot afford to feed themselves or their families well*.

That's exactly the conversation AIA Vitality Ambassador and mum of two, Dame Valerie Adams, had when she sat down with nutritionist and author Claire Turnbull from Mission Nutrition. Together, they unpack the realities of family nutrition, from supermarket shopping to lunchboxes and weeknight dinners.

The good news? Eating well as a family doesn’t have to mean spending hours in the kitchen or buying expensive ingredients. In this article, Claire shares practical, budget-friendly advice to help make eating well feel more achievable for Kiwi families. 

Encouraging kids to eat more fruit and vegetables without a daily standoff at the dinner table is an achievement within itself. To build up familiarity, Claire recommends that consistently introducing small servings of vegetables on the plate goes a long way.  

“Even having small amounts of vegetables showing up on their plate daily gets kids used to seeing them,” says Claire.

While adding fruit and vegetables into smoothies, frittatas, and baking is a great idea where they can go unnoticed, Claire believes that children eating more of the good stuff also comes down to timing. 

“Use the moments when your kids are genuinely hungry,” she says. “They will literally eat anything when they get home from school.”

Another tip is, if the kids want a snack before dinner, try introducing a vegetable-only policy before dinner time. 

Dame Valerie’s go-to approach to getting her kids to eat more greens is finely chopping vegetables to mix into lasagne and soups, where they can be easily disguised. 

Dame Valerie says her daughter, Kimoana, who is eight, is not a fan of vegetables. "She ate peas one day and came to tell me, 'Mum, I ate some peas!' And then immediately asked if she could have a treat. I said - bro, out of here!"

If you ask parents about what they put in lunchboxes, you’ll probably get a similar answer: the gap between what you plan to include versus what actually goes in some days can be very different. 

When reflecting on the realities of lunchtime play, Claire's advice is for parents to let go of the idea that lunchboxes need to be exciting or aesthetic. 

"At lunchtime, kids are often focused on playing with their friends, not eating,” Claire says. “You can spend time doing things like cutting sandwiches into fancy shapes, but most kids genuinely don't care. What matters is that the food is easy to eat and actually gets finished."

Dame Valerie resonated with the pressures of packing the perfect lunchbox. 

"I myself struggle with lunchboxes," Dame Valerie admits. "I always make sure there's a piece of fruit in there, but making a fully balanced lunchbox every day? That's another story."

For Dame Valerie, lunchboxes come with an added layer of complexity. Her son, Tava has Type 1 diabetes, which means everything she includes in his lunchbox needs to be carefully carb-counted. 

“On top of this, I also have to think about whether he's actually going to eat it or not. Thankfully, most of the time he does," she says. 

For parents looking to crack the lunchbox puzzle, Claire’s golden formula is to include: 

• Some carbohydrate rich foods for energy, like sandwiches or pre-cooked pasta shapes kids can eat with their hands.
• A source of protein such as cooked chicken, tuna, slices of cheese or hard-boiled eggs.
• A piece of fruit and some vegetables like carrot sticks.

With the rising cost of groceries, eating healthy can get expensive quickly.

Claire has some strategies to help Kiwi families eat well on a budget without breaking the bank. This includes pre-planning, buying seasonal produce or items on special, and focusing on wholefood pantry staples to help make eating healthier at home more affordable.

In addition to sticking to what’s on your shopping list, Claire suggests checking the price of ingredients before adding them to the trolley and knowing what is in season can make a big difference. 

“Seasonal fruits and vegetables are almost always more affordable. As are frozen vegetables, which can be just as nutritious,” she says. “I’m also a big fan of bulk cooking. It saves you so much time, especially during the week.” 

Claire also recommends leaning into pantry staples that go further for less, like lentils and chickpeas, which are some of the most affordable ingredients on the shelves, easy to add to family favourites like spaghetti bolognese, and are also good sources of protein. 

From winning the vegetable battle at the dinner table and cracking lunchboxes, to making the weekly shop go further, there are plenty of ways Kiwi parents can continuously encourage their children to eat more fruit and vegetables. Claire reminds us that small, consistent steps over time always beat perfection. 

Start small, be kind to yourself, and on the hard days, remember that even eating some peas is worth celebrating.

Eating well should be accessible to every Kiwi family and healthier eating just got more rewarding with AIA Vitality. AIA Vitality members get access to the AIA Vitality HealthyFood Benefit, which offers up to 25% off fresh fruit and vegetables at Woolworths. Visit here to learn more.