Healthy food and exercise tips to combat childhood obesity (From Somerset County Gazette)

Healthy food and exercise tips to combat childhood obesity

11:00am Tuesday 24th January 2012 in News

SOMERSET'S director of public health, Dr Caroline Gamlin, has welcomed new nutrition guidelines for pre-school children.

The guidelines have been launched by the charity The School Food Trust, which is working to reduce a rising epidemic in childhood obesity.

The new guidelines are voluntary and target providers of childcare.

They follow an independent report which highlighted that many young children were being given food during their pre-school years better suited to adults.

The report showed that more than a fifth of children in the UK were overweight or obese when they started school and said that while many childcare providers were doing an excellent job, some had not taken onboard the particular nutritional needs of very young children.

In Somerset approximately 23% of primary school starters - aged four - are overweight or obese and 30% of Year 6 pupils - aged 10 to 11.

Dr Gamlin said: “These are the first nationally-recognised guidelines on the foods childcare providers should offer young children.

“We support the new guidelines and stress that it has never been more important for both parents and providers of childcare to establish healthy eating habits at an early age.

"It is sound advice to pay particular attention to portion size which is very important for children aged from one to five and limit foods high in fat and sugar.

“The School Food Trust website offers very useful seasonal menu planners - breakfasts, lunch, teas and treats - which many parents should find useful and fun to use.”

Dr Gamlin added: “The meals are all tried and tested 'old favourites', but scaled down in portion size to suit a ‘pint-sized’ appetite.

"The meals are straightforward and you don’t need to be a super chef to get them right.

“Encouraging children to reduce the amount of time they spend sitting is also important.

"We would encourage the under fives to take 180 minutes of activity per day largely through encouraging active play.

"Sixty minutes per day is encouraged for 5 to 18-year-olds.”

Children’s Minister Sarah Teather said: “Healthy eating is at the heart of helping every child get the best start in life.

"Parents rightly want their children to be eating healthy, nutritional food.

"Thanks to these voluntary guidelines drawn up by The School Food Trust we will help nurseries and other childcare providers do just that.”

Parents looking for cooking suggestions for one to five year olds can also visit the NHS Change4Life website by clicking on the link.

Top Tips for happy mealtimes with your under fives.

*If your child refuses to eat certain foods don’t get caught up trying to force them. Just keep giving them other healthy options, and don’t panic or try to fill them up with sweets and crisps and they will soon start to eat again naturally.

*Familiarise them with the food you are buying and cooking, make it fun and let them join in. Talk to them about the food you use, find out interesting facts about different foods, get them interested.

*When you shop get them involved in naming foods. Ask them to hunt down strange looking fruit for example when you are at the market stall or supermarket so they get excited about them and understand the different food groups.

*Three regular meals a day remains an important routine to establish and maintain.

*Sit and eat together at the table with your child, to encourage positive family mealtimes, don’t let your children eat alone.

*Enjoy and share your cooking preparation and mealtimes as a family whenever you can and they will get a really important message from you about how eating good, tasty food is fun, sociable and good for you.

*'Run around and work up an appetite’ is still the best advice.