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| Healthy eating begins at home |
| by Doctor Beckie Lang www.mums4.com Love him or hate him, Jamie Oliver has certainly influenced the debate on children’s diets. School dinners, supermarket children’s ranges, fast food and even our own fridges have come under scrutiny of late in the battle to feed our kids better. With a growing increase in overweight children and the concern over future health as a result of poor diet in childhood, the cupboards have been flung open and the contents laid bare. Jamies Dinners and the latest national survey of children’s diets, commissioned by the Food Standards Agency have highlighted the reliance of processed, calorie-rich and nutrient poor foods by children today. A lack of fruits and vegetables and a prominence of fat, sugar and salt, are storing up long term health problems such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes, as well as impacting on immediate concentration, behaviour and wellbeing. So how can children be encouraged to choose healthily in an environment which lends itself to poor choices? Start at Home What isn’t there cannot be chosen, so resist the temptation of crisps, chocolate, biscuits and other high fat snacks. Instead ensure they are replaced by fresh and dried fruits, cereal bars and savoury snacks such as plain popcorn or no added salt crisps. Those that want to snack can then only do so on healthier alternatives, or go without! Lead by example. There is no point in pushing healthy foods at our children if we sit there munching on cake and chips! Make changes a family thing and let them see you also swapping unhealthy snacks and meals for nutrient packed options. Your waistline may benefit too! Kids can be so fussy and most will go for the junk rather than the nice homemade meal you have slaved over! Encourage children to participate in food preparation and talk about food at home. Making dishes themselves, even if it’s a fruit smoothie, is more likely to encourage them to try new foods. Many will need introducing repeatedly over time, so don’t give up at the first hurdle. Many pre-prepared foods available in the supermarkets are heavy handed on the salt and sugar – even in the kids ranges. Yogurts for example can contain between 2-3tsp of sugar per pot and bought soup can contain a similar amount of salt. As we can’t always make everything from scratch here are a few guidelines to get you label savvy when it comes to checking amounts on bought foods: Salt This is usually labelled as sodium. Ideally you want there to be less than 0.2g per 100g. If there is 0.5g or more per 100g – that is a lot. Sugar This can be labelled in many different ways; sugar, glucose, sucrose, glucose syrup, golden syrup, invert sugar, fruit concentrate, honey, fructose, dextrose, maltose, fruit juices, treacle. Ideally you want there to be 2g or less per 100g of sugar. 10g or more per 100g of product is considered a lot. Like any change in behaviour, it takes time and effort. The earlier in life healthy food choices are encouraged, the more likely they will last throughout life. Unfortunately research tells us that just being affordable doesn’t make people change their habits – it has to be a concerted action from an individual to improve the situation. Frustrated by the amount of sugar, salt, flavourings and colourings in everyday foods for children, MUMS4 was launched by three mums as a new concept in children's food. Producing organic, no added sugar fruit yogurts, rice pudding and custard, the MUMS4 range provides parents with a healthier choice previously unavailable on the supermarket shelf. Available in Waitrose, Asda, Spar and independent health food stores nationwide. www.mums4.com |
| Posted: 29/04/2005 08:04:42 Last Updated: 29/04/2005 08:09:24 |
Chick Lit > Chick Lit Kids :: Healthy eating begins at home