Give Kids a Diet Head Start
Teaching children about good food is just as important to their education as reading, writing and maths. Getting children interested in where food comes from and cultivating an interest in unusual varieties, as well as the preparation and cooking of ingredients, is all part of the journey towards creating a new generation of healthy eaters.
For starters, it's important to take the kids shopping so they can learn to identify fruit and vegetables, choose the best food and contribute to decisions about what's for dinner. Always be picky in the fresh produce section - buy in-season and fresh-looking produce (wilted greens have already lost their vitamin C) and buy as local as possible. From time to time, have some fun by experimenting with a fruit or vegetable the family has not eaten before. See sydneymarkets.com.au for ideas.
When shopping at the supermarket, another time-saver is to stick to the perimeter. The fresh food usually forms a ring around aisles packed with processed products listing dozens of unpronounceable ingredients, at the centre of which is the soft drink and chips aisle.
Rice crackers are a healthier choice than chips, being lower in salt and fat. Low-fat, low-salt corn chips are another alternative or buy popping corn and pop it yourself in a saucepan with a lid and a little olive oil.
In the dairy aisle, check use-by dates. Supermarkets often stack older products at the front of the shelves, so reach to the back for the freshest milk and yoghurt. If buying yoghurt specifically for its live cultures, choose packages with more than two weeks before the use-by date expires.
Choose chicken based on whether it is organic, free-range, corn-fed or commercially grown but don't worry that the choice will affect children's hormone levels. Growth hormones have been banned from use in the Australian chicken industry for about 40 years.
Be wary of products with more than five ingredients, especially if they are not ingredients usually found in the pantry. And be aware that foods labelled sugar-free means free of sucrose but not sweeteners with the same kilojoule load, such as fructose, corn syrup and concentrated fruit juice. Similarly, light or "lite" doesn't necessarily mean lower in fat. It can also refer to a product that is lighter in salt, flavour, texture, taste or even colour.
On the salty side of things, choose low-salt or no-salt processed products where possible as three-quarters of the salt in our diets comes from processed foods.
Recent research has uncovered a link between high salt intake among children and teens and a high intake of soft drink. When the salt in their diets was reduced, the children unconsciously cut back on the soft drink.
When buying salt to use in cooking, choose iodised table salt over sea salts. Since dairy farmers stopped using iodine-based cleaning products, milk is no longer a major source of iodine and there is now evidence of some iodine deficiency in many parts of Australia. It is vital for good health. Iodine is contained in vegetables grown where soils have sufficient iodine and in seafood and seaweed but it is not in sea salt.
Steer clear of food colouring. Experts have long claimed parents were wrong about food colouring sending their kids crazy but science is now on the side of harried parents - the food colourings used in soft drinks and lollies can cause hyperactivity and not just in those diagnosed with hyperactivity disorders.
October 21, 2008 - 3:35PM
Children involved in food selection and preparation are likely to eat well in adulthood, writes Robin Powell.
-
School Lunches Made From Scratch - Healthy & Vegetarian
The menu was a little adventurous for the average 6-year-old,but Mercedes enjoyed spoonfulls of black bean enchilada , scraping her plate clean. She also ate the carrot sticks on the side and polished off a spice cookie for dessert..
-
Feeding Baby the Organic Way
Sadie Enright used her organic know-how to create an organic baby food company called First Foods, as she wanted to feed her baby fresh foods, and organic baby food is easier in infants' digestive system...
-
The Effects of Foods on Children's Behaviour
Use of additives in food has continued to increase and spread to 'healthy' goods such as bread, butter, yoghurt, juice and muesli bars as well as junk food. At the same time, childrens behaviour and learning problems increased...
-
Mediterranean Diet Reduces Asthma Risk
Studies have shown that following a diet high in healthy fats such as olive oil can reduce the risk of asthma in kids...
-
Give Kids a Diet Head Start
Teaching children about good food is just as important to their education as reading, writing and maths...