Okay, so it seems there are a number of us mumma's out there who want to access good nutritional and wellbeing advice for our children. What is important for my child's health? What can I do to improve their wellbeing? In my clinical practice I have found that sugar and hidden sugars are the most damaging components in children's diets. When a pre-packaged food has a moderate to high sugar content, you can bet that the salt (sodium) content is high also. It is a common occurrence and slips under the radar often. I am often gob-smacked in the supermarket aisle reading the nutrition labels of products marketed to children. Even Gluten Free, Nut Free, Dairy Free products can be very high in sugar and salt. The long-term health implications of this is dire. My advice is to return to the basics of food. Cook with your children. Eat with your children. Keep things simple. Give them variety. The more sugar and salt they consume, the more they desire, and soon they lose their sense of taste for good nutritious food.
Friday 19 August 2011
Children Vs the Sugar Giant
Okay, so it seems there are a number of us mumma's out there who want to access good nutritional and wellbeing advice for our children. What is important for my child's health? What can I do to improve their wellbeing? In my clinical practice I have found that sugar and hidden sugars are the most damaging components in children's diets. When a pre-packaged food has a moderate to high sugar content, you can bet that the salt (sodium) content is high also. It is a common occurrence and slips under the radar often. I am often gob-smacked in the supermarket aisle reading the nutrition labels of products marketed to children. Even Gluten Free, Nut Free, Dairy Free products can be very high in sugar and salt. The long-term health implications of this is dire. My advice is to return to the basics of food. Cook with your children. Eat with your children. Keep things simple. Give them variety. The more sugar and salt they consume, the more they desire, and soon they lose their sense of taste for good nutritious food.
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This is so true!!! At the moment I'm trying to eliminate all the processed food and "JunK" my 4year old eats and it's not been easy. I've created a moster as all he wants is the sugary and salty foods. I'm trying to use the"some times foods" and "all the times foods" labelling of food. The other day the cheeky monkey asked me, "Mummy can we just call all the junk all the times foods cause I love them all the time!!" Help!!!!!
ReplyDeleteYou are not alone Julie, this is a problem I see all the time. It is such an easy trap to fall into, and product marketing doesn't help. Give yourself time. It is about re-learning food habits, and that can be a huge task. The greatest time for role modelling to our kids is by what we eat, and when, and sharing these experiences with them. No one get's it right all the time. Do the best you can, and be persistent. Good luck and thanks for your comment!
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