Linda Baston-Pitt, owner of the Old School House Day Nursery in Suffolk, one of the settings that trialled the new national early years nutrition guidelines, said that practitioners can only support children in leading a healthy lifestyle if their own health and well-being is looked after.
The nursery, which achieved an Investors in People Health and Well-Being good practice award, has introduced a number of measures to encourage healthy lifestyles for staff, including opening a cafe with free fruit and healthy drinks, and giving out pedometers for competing to see who can take the most steps.
Ms Baston-Pitt suggested that settings swap biscuits in the staffroom for fruit, have only water available to drink, and introduce a healthy tuck shop.
'Early years practitioners are in a unique position to influence not only the nutritional intake of the children, but also the knowledge and attitudes they have towards food and lifestyle,' she said.
'In order to help children to be healthy at the nursery we support the people who work directly with them. If the staff aren't practising what they are preaching, then it simply won't work.'
The National Day Nurseries Association's director of membership, policy and communication, Claire Schofield, also raised the issue of the health and well-being of practitioners when trying to implement healthy eating within a setting.
She said that many NDNA member nurseries had similar concerns and that healthy eating should start with staff and children would follow.
She also recommended that settings urge staff to go outside during lunch breaks and ensure that they promote positive attitudes towards food.
Monkton Day Nursery School in Mossley Hill, Liverpool, actively encourages staff to lead a healthy lifestyle. It has an exercise room where staff can lift weights and work out to exercise DVDs.
Practitioners are also discouraged from bringing in bottles of soft drink and the nursery does not allow smoking breaks.
Manager Pauline Lybert said, 'We take a holistic approach to health that encompasses staff and children.
'All practitioners have been on an early years nutrition course at John Moores University and only eat the same food as the children.'
She added, 'The children look up to staff, so when they see them take something from the fruit bowl they want to emulate their actions.'