TIDINGS THAT INSPIRE
RAISING A HEALTHY
GENERATION: HOW
WELL ARE WE DOING?
By Jennifer Mwangangi-Ayoti
I
had an amazing time one
Saturday recently with over 20
kids speaking on nutrition. Why
did I decide to do the class? Well,
I have two school-going daughters
aged 10 and 7. I have been getting a
lot of feedback regarding the juices
and snacks I pack for them to take
to school. The others kids love them
which means they have to share
whatever it is that I have packed.
I decided to investigate what kind
of snacks these particular kids take
to school and to cut the long story
short, I decided to sell the idea
of a nutrition class to all parents
in my circle. The idea was warmly
received.
We are in an era where school-aged
children are growing at a tremendous
rate hence they need healthy,
nutritious choices to keep up their
energy and optimal growth.
Many parents complain that meal
times are fighting times. The kids just
don’t want to eat vegetables or greens.
One of the best ways to teach healthy
nutrition to a school aged child is
simply to get the child involved.
Making the child feel they are part of
the process and helping them make
good choices can limit the natural
fights or arguments that can spring
up during mealtimes.
Using a healthy food pyramid (lean
‘‘ Let us involve our kids more when it comes
to choosing healthy meals. Let us eat on
the table as a family as opposed to e ating
on the couch in front of the TV. Let us get
rid of artificial sugar and always take a keen
interest in what the labels proclaim. When
we do this, we shall help raise a healthy
generation.”
92 MAL 17/17 ISSUE
protein, grains, dairy, vegetables,
fruits, herbs, fats/oils and water), get
children to help you select menus for
the week, go shopping with them and
let them assist in meal preparation.
Kids can for instance assist in
cleaning the vegetables, cracking eggs
etc.
Apart from eating a healthy balance
diet, Children also need physical
activity every day. Activity and
nutrition must go together in order to
ensure your child’s nutritional health.
If a child is heavier than they should
be, as parents, we should never place
a school-aged child on a diet. The
best available option for parents is
to change the child’s food and/or
increase their physical activity. The
extra weight can put a child at a
greater risk of high blood pressure,
diabetes, high cholesterol and other
complications in the long-term
including issues such as low self
esteem and sleeping problems.
Another great tip is to feed your kids
healthy foods when they are hungry!
If you wait until they have had
junk, it becomes a challenge to offer
healthy options.