Fit or Fat – what are we feeding our children?

The current rise in obesity is not only affecting the adult population but also children – our future generation.
Parents are predominantly responsible for ensuring children receive well-balanced, nourishing diets but their choice is often easily influenced by the media - advertising fast, convenient foods – often high in saturated fat, salt and sugar.

The other major input into a child’s diet is the school canteen. The recent work of Jamie Oliver has done much to improve school dinners – swapping ready made foods of poor nutritional value e.g. chicken nuggets /beefburgers/chips – for the home made equivalent, baked potatoes, vegetables and fruit.

However, as highlighted by the BBC last week both parents and schools are fighting against the many take-aways, fast food outlets and sweetshops located near schools with tourist areas and inner cities faring the worst. Many pupils are opting to spend their dinner money in these unhealthy venues with dangerous consequences – notably an increase in obesity, diabetes, poor academic performance, early heart disease and dental disease.

As reported by the head of the National Union of Teachers we need to ‘win the hearts and minds of children in this battle against junk food’.
Poor nutrition has been proven to cause deterioration in school performance, and an increase in depression and aggression amongst children. This was the conclusion form the inquiry by the Parliamentary Food and Health Forum (2007). The research shows that children with learning and behaviour problems improve when essential fats (from nuts/oily fish) are added to the diet and that IQ improves when multivitamins are added – or foods rich in these. (www.foodforthe brain.org)

The key is to educate and introduce them to healthy options so that they grow up with the knowledge that these foods are better for them and the experience that they are enjoyable to eat.

For more advice and information on ‘tempting children the healthy way’ contact Hazel Lambourne (Nutritional Therapist) at The Cenacle Treatment Centre ([email protected])