Forget Happy Meals, sweet and computer games-here are 10 ways to get your children on the road to a healthier life.

According to the Government’s National Diet and Nutrition survey, 92% of children consume more saturated fat than the maximum recommended level for adults, and 83% consume added sugars higher than suggested adult levels. Not surprisingly, our children are getting fatter, and many experts are warning that the problem is getting out of hand. For the first time, there’s a very real chance that parents could start outliving their offspring, due to obesity-related diseases such as cancer and heart disease.

Here are some tips and ideas on how to keep your kids healthy.

1. Honesty is the best policy

Try to resist sneaking vegetables onto your plates – children are not stupid! Instead encourage them to help you in in the kitchen and explain to them what ingredients you are using and why they’re healthy .Show them how tasty sauces can be when you add some chopped veg. 

2. Avoid the dirty dozen

Some ingredients found in pre packed food especially those marketed at children  may be detrimental to their health. According to Organix, these are 12 offenders and where they can be found :

a)       Mechanically recovered / separated meat – sausages

b)       MSG E621

c)       Sodium 5-ribonucleopeptide E635 – snacks

d)       Aspartame – soft drinks, snacks

e)       Acesulfame K – snacks and soft drinks.

f)        Sodium saccharide – snacks and soft drinks.

g)       Sodium benzoate E211 – many soft and fizzy drinks and food sauces

h)       Sulphur dioxide E220 – soft drinks and some meat

i)        Artificial colorings.

j)        High salt content – processed food such as tomato ketchup and soup.

k)       Hydrogenated and saturated fat – fatty foods like take-aways, burgers, chocolate and crisps.

l)        Refined sugar – sugary foods and cereal bars.

3. Exchange bad for good

There are so many easy ways you can swap junk food for healthier alternatives without losing out on flavour.

Out with the old…	In with the new..
Burger,chips,beans	Chicken and sweetcorn burgers,potato wedges in their skins, beans
Sugary cereals,fruit juice	Fresh fruit,glass of milk,muesli
Salty crisps	Sweet potato wedges,crispy vegetable batons
Fuzzy drinks	Fruit juice mixed with sparkling spring water
Sausages, potato waffles	Grilled chicken and vegetable kebabs,onion mash

4.Don’t be too strict

Tastes for salty and sweet foods are developed early in life. So, it is OK to let your children take sweet food like fruit desserts,rice puddings and custards as they supply important nutrients such as vitamin C, calcium and protein. But make sure they eat a generally balanced diet.

5.What makes a good lunch?

School lunches have had a bad press of late, so turn your back on pre-packed produce and make your own lunches that are brimming with good nutrition.

a)      Keep the fats healthy – nuts, seeds, and olive oil all contain unsaturated fats which are good for health.

b)      Wholegrain reign – If you are sending them off to school with a sandwich, opt for more nutritious wholegrain varieties of bread rather than refined white bread.

c)      Think before they drink – It’s no good packing them a feast of raw vegetable if it’s washed down with a can of mirinda or pepsi. Give your kids milk, water or pure fruit juice.

d)     Variety is the spice of life – Boredom can result in children picking at meals and then snacking later on fatty items.

6.  Snack Attack

When hunger strikes, serve them with something that will not only keep the kids fulfilled but full of calories. Here are some child-friendly options: crackers, home made popcorn,yoghurt,raisins and rice cakes.

7. Dump the junk

Check out these 3 great ideas for getting more healthy foods into junk-food mad kids, from What Really Works for Kids by Susan Clark.

• Make frozen yoghurt to keep in the freezer. Just add pureed fruits to live plain yoghurt and freeze.
• Enhance the nutritional value of daily staples by adding fruit to breakfast cereals, yoghurt and ice creams.
• Thicken sauces with vegetables purees instead of cream and milk.

8.  Keep a well stocked fruit bowl

Instead of stocking up the sweetie cupboard, pile the fruit bowl high with tempting fresh produce.

9.  Make fitness fun

One of the main reasons for childhood obesity is lack of physical activity. If your children are not particularly active,don’t worry. Kids are naturally active, so should not really need much encouragement to get involved in energetic pursuits.

10. Find TV alternatives

The prevalence of TV and computers combined with parents’ reluctance to allow their offpring out to play in parks and public places has been blamed for our children’s increasingly sedentary lifestyle. Another worry is that children who watch TV four hours of TV a day are exposed to as many as 40 food commercials. This barrage of advertising is often aimed specifically at children and promotes high fat, unhealthy food. So what can you do?

a)      Monitor what they watch on TV.

b)      Round up your children’s friends and head for the park. The kid can run around and let off steam.

c)      Draw up a chart and reward kids with a star every time they eat portion of fruit or veg.

d)     One evening a week, switch the TV off and play a family games.

What is a balanced diet for children?

A balanced diet should include the following food groups:

1. Fruit and vegetables ( at least 5 portions per day )

2. Bread,other cereals and potatoes ( with every meal )

3. Milk and dairy products ( several servings per day )

4. Meat, fish and vegetarian alternatives ( 1 or 2 servings a day )

5. Foods containing saturated fat and refined sugar should be limited.

* If you are at all concerned with your child’s health then you should always consult your GP.