Healthy eating starts early

Enjoying the healthy contents of their lunch boxes at Play & Learn Fairfield are (from left) Lachie Shaw (4), Theo Johnston (4), Tai Nicolaou (4) and Indy Nicolaou (2). Photo by Brenda Harwood
Enjoying the healthy contents of their lunch boxes at Play & Learn Fairfield are (from left) Lachie Shaw (4), Theo Johnston (4), Tai Nicolaou (4) and Indy Nicolaou (2). Photo by Brenda Harwood

The daily challenge of filling the kids' lunch boxes can be a minefield for parents, as recent studies have shown. Brenda Harwood talks to health advocates about the issue and its potential long-term impact on children's health.

The foods parents give to their children as preschoolers could have a bearing on their eating habits, and health, for life.

And busy parents, doing their best with limited time and budgets, can fall into the trap of over-feeding their children, or giving them packaged ''treat foods'' as everyday items. But with concern growing over New Zealand's ''obesity epidemic'', including childhood obesity, researchers are calling for a change.

University of Otago Associate Prof Rachael Taylor, co-principal investigator in the Dunedin-based Prevention of Overweight in Infancy (POI) study, told The Star that despite extensive well-child health services, close to 30% of 2 to 4-year-olds in New Zealand were overweight or obese.

''One in three is a worrying statistic and it tends to suggest that something is happening in the first years of life,'' Prof Taylor said.

''It can be difficult to reach everybody through education ... there is room for intervention,'' she said.

After a quick survey of children's lunches at an average Dunedin early childhood education centre late last year produced some startling results, Heart Foundation Otago health promotion co-ordinator Qa-t-a Amun has redoubled her efforts to promote the healthy eating message.

''Parents are doing their best to do the right thing by their kids. I am very keen to influence them in a healthy direction,'' Ms Amun said.

The survey, carried out in October 2014 by Heart Foundation volunteer and University of Otago dietetics student Aimee Borich, tallied the packaged foods in about 30 children's lunch boxes for a week. A total of 195 items of packaged food were counted, including 74 packets of chips and other salty snacks, 62 muesli and other bars, 13 biscuits, 33 packets of sweets and 13 packets of other snack foods.

Ms Amun said the results of the brief survey were startling, and highlighted the need for parents to be more aware about the foods they were putting into lunch boxes.

''The lunch boxes might have a sandwich, yoghurt and fruit, but then they would also have the fruit strings, packets of chips and muesli bars - extras that most children don't need,'' Ms Amun said.

''And children under 5 will nearly always choose and eat those foods first.''

This could lead to weight gain and also created a liking for treat foods that could have lifelong health impacts, she said.

With New Zealand having the dubious honour of being the third-fattest nation in the OECD, the impact of children developing a preference for snack-type foods could be an issue across the country.

''Easy access to cheap, nutrient-poor food, combined with less opportunity for physical activity, has contributed to New Zealand's increasing rate of childhood obesity,'' Ms Amun said.

Nationally, 20.6% of children aged 2 to 4 years are overweight and 9.2% are obese. In Otago and Southland, 10.6% of children aged 2 to 14 years are obese.

Prof Taylor said a high number of very young children who were overweight tended to stay that way as they grew older.

''There isn't a huge amount of remission in the population, so it [being overweight very young] is setting them up for a cycle,'' she said.

However, Prof Taylor sympathised with busy parents, saying that it was definitely easier and quicker to choose packaged foods.

''There needs to be easy alternatives there. Industry needs to get smarter and make better options,'' she said.

In her health promotion role, Ms Amun has been able to use the results of the lunch-box survey to build discussion with parents and educators at preschools and schools across Dunedin about the need to focus on healthy food for children.

''People have responded very well to those discussions, and there has been real, positive change in the children's nutrition.''

Getting back to basics was the best advice, Ms Amun said. ''I always say that the quickest, easiest, pre-wrapped healthy food that you can put in your kids' lunch box is a piece of fruit.''

Heart award for Fairfield centre

Work done by teachers and parents this year at busy early childhood education centre  Play & Learn Fairfield has earned a Health Heart Whanau (Silver) Award from the Heart Foundation.

With advice from the foundatoin's health promotion co-ordinator, Qa-t-a Amun, the centre has developed healthy food guidelines and given parents information and ideas.

''We have been working on it for a while and we have seen a big change in our children's lunch boxes,'' teacher Helen Collins said.

The centre teachers also talk with children about good foods to eat to keep their energy up during the day, and the children are involved in cooking sessions. A vegetable garden and fruit trees on site also help to enhance the healthy foods message.

''There is more work still to go, but taking on this challenge has been a really good thing for us,'' Mrs Collins said. 

 

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