With October focusing on National Nutrition Week (October 9 to 15) and National Obesity Week (October 15 to 19) ER24 is urging children to consider the impact their eating habits have on their health.
ER24 is also urging parents to lead by example. ER24 spoke to Jandri Barnard, a dietician practising at Mediclinic Newcastle, who said that currently worldwide, one out of every 10 children are overweight. “This means that a 155 million children are overweight and 30 to 45 million of these children are classified as obese.
“In South Africa, two out of every 10 children are either overweight or obese. This adds up to 17 percent of children in South Africa between the ages of one and nine being overweight. A fifth of boys and a quarter of girls have unhealthy amounts of fat in their bodies. It is of great concern, as American studies have found that overweight or obese children tend to remain overweight or obese until the age of twenty and are exposed to a higher risk of being obese adults. Obese adults in turn face the risk of increased heart disease and diabetes, and a lifetime of trying to shed those unwanted kilogrammes,” said Barnard.
She urged parents to be role models by having healthy eating habits and lifestyles themselves. “Healthy eating and living can improve immunity, concentration and also give plenty of energy for play and sports daily, for a child to grow healthy and strong.
“With an unlimited and convenient supply of fast foods, it has become easier for people to adopt bad eating habits. The trend of eating more meals at restaurants, buying take-away foods and high energy snacks as well as the increased availability of high kilojoule foods found at tuck shops, larger portion sizes and skipping meals due to lack of time, not only contribute to obesity in adults, but also in children,” said Barnard.
She added that instead of taking the time to cook, mostly due to longer working hours, and using fresh vegetables, families ingest higher amounts of food rich in fat, simple carbohydrates and energy.
Certain cooking oils, carbohydrates, cold drinks and processed foods are high in sugars and bad fats. Processed foods are more energy-dense, meaning that it does not contain water and fibre, but has added fat, salt and sugar. This results in making the foods less filling and more fattening.
“Healthier take-away choices need to be made for children from the healthier options available at the restaurants. ‘Junk food’ can also be made at home, done as a family activity over weekends as a treat and not seen as a daily meal,” said Barnard.
She said that a healthier diet for children and everyone else can be summed up in two words, balance and variety. “Balance meaning plenty of the really healthy foods, with only a little of the less healthy ones. Variety means different foods which contain different nutrients. This gives your child a varied diet thereby maximising their chances of getting all the nutrients they need. Eating fresh fruits and vegetables has long-term health benefits. It provides essential vitamins and minerals, fibre, antioxidants and natural sugars that are important for good health. Most fruits and vegetables are naturally low in fat and kilojoules and are also filling, so it is good for children to snack on without putting on weight. The fight against obesity begins with healthier eating habits at home. Just a few simple changes on your plate can benefit your family’s health,” said Barnard.
Considering that many children do not like eating vegetables, Barnard provided the following ideas to get them to do so:
• Get enthusiastic yourself when seeing a new vegetable in the supermarket and suggest buying some to try out at home.
• Try out ‘exotic’ vegetables such as zucchini (baby marrow) or brussel sprouts.
• Always have a bowl of salad on the table at mealtimes so that children can get used to the availability of fresh vegetables.
• Children love dipping. Serve lightly cooked cauliflower and broccoli florets, carrot sticks, asparagus, celery sticks or snap peas with a low fat dip.
• Let the children get involved by buying mini pizza bases. Make fresh tomato sauce, grate some cheese and lay out a selection of veggie toppings, so that everyone can choose their own individual toppings.
“To have balance and variety on your plate you also need to include proteins such as meat, poultry and fish. The power of nuts, pulses and beans should not be forgotten for its high fibre content as well as containing B vitamins, magnesium and zinc. A quick meal can be from dairy products like yoghurt or maas or using eggs as part of a meal,” she said.
Lack of physical activity
Barnard said that children of the 21st century have become couch potatoes. “They expend much less energy on physical activity and rather spend endless hours watching television and playing computer games,” she said.
She urged parents to get their children involved in outdoor activities. “Previously children used to walk or cycle more on a daily basis. It is important that parents accompany children on outdoor activities, especially during weekends,” she said.
Issued by:
Chitra Bodasing
ER24 spokesperson