Healthy Living for Kids

As parents we are always being told that our children aren’t eating the right diet and don’t get enough exercise. Here, FlyingStart takes a look at the practical steps parents can take to make sure their child leads a healthy lifestyle

Alarming new research has shown that more than a quarter of children under the age of ten are seriously over weight. Our youngsters are being branded a generation of couch potatoes and as parents we are being blamed for an impending obesity time bomb.

Blame is all very well, but what action can we take to make sure our children eat the right foods at home and school, and get enough exercise?

According to former tennis champion and mother-of-three Annabel Croft, the key to establishing a healthier lifestyle is to explain to your children exactly why it is important:

“It can make a real difference when children actually understand the consequences of leading a sedentary lifestyle and living on junk food,” says Annabel who is fronting W-inter@ctive, a new campaign designed to get children active over the winter.

“I strongly believe in and aim to get my kids doing at least one hour of aerobic exercise every day. It might be going to a gymnastics or tennis class, or simply riding a bike, jumping on a trampoline.

“I think if parents can aim to get their kids doing at least half an hour a day through the winter then that’s a great start.”

One way to encourage your children to exercise is and to make it a regular part of their weekly routine. Organisations such as the British Gymnastics Association and the Lawn Tennis Association run excellent out of school activities for children.

And there are also a host of other exciting hobbies that children can take up to get them away from the television and the computer screen. Horse riding, dancing, swimming and martial arts are all popular choices for children. The list is endless! But how do you decide which activity is right for your child?

“The best way to decide is to encourage your kids to try as many different things as possible and they’ll find out for themselves what they like,” says Annabel.

“Find low cost classes at your local sports centre or sign your children up for any opportunities that their school has to offer. If the school doesn’t seem to have anything then why not get together with other parents to suggest some after-school clubs?”

There are also exercises that you can do at home, especially over the winter when the weather can be a bit unpredictable:

“Making a game of helping with the clearing up or sorting out the toys, playing hide and seek or hopscotch are all things that you can do in or around the house,” says Annabel.

“You could also get the kids to do sit-ups or star-jumps in the advertising breaks when they are watching television!”

According to Annabel, a good routine and making sure that your child gets enough sleep are also vital ingredients for a healthy lifestyle:

“The cold dark winter mornings are off-putting enough, but just like us, children will find it virtually impossible to get out of bed if they are tired in the morning,” says Annabel.

“Regular meals and not skipping breakfast is all part of instilling good eating habits that will last a lifetime and will also ensure that your kids are well-nourished and ready for action!”

It goes without saying that one of the most important elements of a healthy lifestyle is a good diet. Ensuring that your child eats enough of the right sorts of foods means that you are also ensuring that they get all the nutrients that they need to help them grow. 

The Food Standards agency recommends that children (and adults) should eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day as well as plenty of foods rich in carbohydrates such as bread, cereals, pasta and rice.

It is also important that children eat a selection of meat, poultry, fish and dairy products and also that you limit the amount of fatty and salty foods that your child eats.

The key to a healthy lifestyle is a balanced diet and it is important not to ban ‘unhealthy’ foods entirely because this can have the effect of making your child want them more. 

“You can’t expect your children to be good all the time, and you have to turn a blind eye to the occasional ‘junk foods’ that kids get at parties,” says Annabel.

“I think it’s important that chocolate, crisps and biscuits are considered by the family to be largely ‘unhealthy’ and not for everyday consumption. I do try and make sure that if we eat cake or biscuits, they’re something that we’ve made ourselves.”

But it’s not just while your children are at home that you need to think about their diet. What they eat during the day when they are at nursery or school is equally important.

There is an assumption that packed lunches are better than school dinners but a new study has revealed that nine out of ten primary school pupils brought packed lunches that were packed with foods high in fat, salt and sugar.

Less than half of the children surveyed had fruit in their lunchbox, while more than 60% had a chocolate bar or biscuits, and seven out of ten had a packet of crisps.

According to the British Nutrition Foundation there is a five-point checklist that parents should follow when making a healthy packed lunch for their child:

1. Have you got you got something from the bread, other cereals and potatoes group?
ideas: Wholemeal/multigrain and white breads and rolls, pitta bread, bagel, French stick, Scotch pancakes, English muffins, fruit scones, currant buns, fruit bread, malt loaf, Crispbread, crackers, pasta and rice salads

2. Have you got you got something from the fruit and vegetables group?
Ideas: Salad in sandwiches and rolls, cherry tomatoes, apples, pears, satsumas, bananas, grapes, melon, kiwi fruit, plums, nectarine, canned fruit pieces, raisins, dried apricots, dish of fruit salad, fruit smoothies and pure fruit juices

3. Have you got you got something from the meat, fish and alternatives group?
Ideas: Slices of ham, chicken and turkey, boiled eggs, canned tuna and salmon, prawns, hummous, mixed nuts and peanut butter

4. Have you got you got something from the milk and dairy foods group?
Ideas: Milk, cheddar, Edam, cheese triangle, low fat soft cheese, cottage cheese with pineapple chunks, fruit yoghurt, fromage frais, drinking yoghurt and rice pudding

5. Have you got a drink?
Ideas: Milk, drinking yoghurt, smoothie, fruit juice, sugar-free squash and water

Sticking with the checklist is a great way to ensure that you are giving your child a nutritious and well-balanced packed lunch. However, especially in winter, you may decide that it would be better for your child to have a hot meal at lunchtime. 

School dinners have been under the spotlight recently with Jamie Oliver’s high-profile campaign highlighting the unhealthy, fatty foods that children were being served in our nation’s schools.

As a result of the campaign the Government has pledged an extra £280 million pounds to improve the school meals service. But many local authorities had already begun making changes long before Jamie’s School Dinners was broadcast.

In Lancashire, where school meals are delivered by the council rather than the private firms featured in Jamie Oliver’s television programme, healthy eating in schools has been a priority for a number of years.

Chips are only on the menu once a week, the amount of fresh vegetables has been increased while battered and breaded foods have been reduced. Children are also served wholegrain rice and bread, local yoghurt, lots of fruit and child-friendly salads.

The key steps to a healthy lifestyle for you and your children are simple: eat a balanced diet, do at least 30 minutes of exercise a day and establish a regular routine. It sounds easy, but what’s the best way to get started?

“Lead by example. Children do as they see others doing. There’s simply no point in directing your kids to jump up and down during the ad breaks while you sit on the sofa eating a bag of crisps!” adds Annabel.

“If they see you leaping out of bed on a cold winter morning, walking to the local shop instead of taking the car, or doing 10 minutes of skipping before breakfast, then they’ll be far more likely to follow suit and adopt these great habits as a way of life.” 

The W-inter@ctive campaign has been devised by World’s Apart, makers of the Kid Active range of toys. For more information visit: http://www.winteractive.co.uk/. The website has information and ideas on getting kids to exercise. There’s a weekly chart to download for your kids to help them keep focused on eating healthily and taking regular exercise. Finally, there is an interactive page for parents and kids to post their own ideas including games, recipes and things to do.

Useful Websites:
W-inter@ctive: http://www.winteractive.co.uk/
British Nutrition Foundation: http://www.nutrition.org.uk/
Food Standards Agency: www.eatwell.gov.uk
Jamie Oliver’s Feed Me Better Campaign: http://www.feedmebetter.com/  

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