Thirty percent of Kiwi kids aged between 5 and 14 years are overweight or obese. And there’s increasing evidence that if overweight kids become overweight teenagers – there’s not much hope for them as adults.
Of course, food isn’t the only culprit – lack of physical activity is also a factor. But choosing the right food and drink can help.
Drinking tips
Drink lots of plain water and trim milk everyday:
- Children over the age of two can have low-fat and reduced-fat milk.
Cut down on fruit juices, flavoured milk, flavoured waters, and diet drinks:
- Infants under one year should not be given straight or undiluted fruit juice.
- Water fruit juice down by at least one in four for young children, and one in three for older children.
- Dilute flavoured milk with half trim milk.
- Flavoured waters and diet drinks contain less sugar and energy but may still contribute to tooth decay.
Keep soft drinks and fruit drinks for treats (less than one serving per week):
- They have high sugar and energy and may also contribute to tooth decay.
Food tips
Kids (and parents) are bombarded by marketing tactics for food products.
But, kids don’t need “special” foods that are high in sugar and brightly coloured. It’s also important not to encourage a sweet tooth early in life.
Watch out for:
- Movie promotions.
- Free gifts.
- Competitions.
- Games and puzzles.
- Packaging that encourages children to play with their food.
- Company websites and kids’ clubs.
- A healthy spin on high sugar food.
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