How can a country such as ours have reached a situation such as this when there is plenty of food around to eat? Unfortunately the answer lies in the modern western diet which is calorie rich but nutrient poor. Many foods are lacking essential nutrients such as vitamins and minerals and the long term effect on health could be serious and far reaching.

It has been claimed that due to the high fat, low nutrient diet of many young people this could be the first generation of children predicted to die before their parents. If so, this is a shocking statistic. The vast majority of processed foods will contain very little in the way of good nutrition and if this forms a large part of our basic diet then the only conclusion is that we will be lacking in those all important nutrients as well!

It really isn’t rocket science but it does represent a serious threat to our wellbeing unless we all take responsibility for our own health and begin to demand a little more quality and lot more respect for what we are putting into our bodies.

Many people say that the cost of eating well is prohibitive and of course this is true. We can only spend what is available to us. The point is however that we should make high quality food a priority because an investment in that is something that will repay us many times over. We only have one body as do our children so it pays to think long and hard about what we are doing to ourselves and our families. As far as children are concerned, time and again it has been shown that children who have a more well rounded and healthy diet have fewer health problems than those who are having a more junk filled diet. Even just a simple thing like having breakfast can make a child more productive at school, increasing concentration and attention span in the classroom.

Again, there is nothing mystical about this. A good fuel supply or in other words food for the body will provide energy for the brain which means attention span can only improve and will certainly be better than if the body is running low on empty!

Further to this if children arrive at school having had nothing substantial to eat, perhaps since the previous evening, they are likely to be feeling hungry.

How can any of us, children or adult possibly give our best if we are hungry and all our thoughts are turning to food?

This is where good levels of hydration are also of vital significance. This means drinking water and plenty of it throughout the day. Even a 2% drop in hydration can significantly affect concentration and performance levels in the classroom.

Fizzy drinks will dehydrate us very quickly and usually contain high levels of sugar and often chemical sweeteners as well. A quick scan of labels on drinks both canned, bottled and cordials will often reveal artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, which has been linked to various health problems.

This is enough of dwelling on the problem, so what exactly can we do to help children? Especially since we are likely to be under pressure of both budget and time. The first step is to begin to move away from processed, salt and sugar loaded foods as much as possible. Just doing this on its own will do wonders for health and wellbeing.

Another tip which can really help both in terms of budget and health is to buy seasonal, locally grown produce whenever we can. This will be far higher in nutrients than produce that has travelled half way around the world. This is particularly the case with fruit and vegetables and is also a good way of supporting local British farmers and other food producers. Shopping at farmers markets or only buying British goods at supermarkets is a good way to start. This doesn’t mean never buying anything from abroad again but it is a good place to begin reclaiming our health. Frozen vegetables are also a great and reasonably priced food. If frozen rapidly after harvest they can often be more nutritious than so called fresh produce that has been sitting on a shelf for three weeks. The next step would be to begin to consume plenty of whole grains such as brown rice, millet and quinoa and lean forms of protein such as chicken, game and fish along with nuts and seeds.

All of the above applies to both children and adults although it may of course be much harder to get children to make changes. It is well worth trying however because just a few simple changes can make all the difference. A good whole grain oat based breakfast would be so much more effective and also performance enhancing than a sugar filled cereal. Fresh water needs to be readily available throughout the day and schools could really encourage this.

Changes can’t always be made overnight but to quote an old Chinese saying, ‘the journey of a thousand miles begins with the very first step’. The time for making dietary changes in our lives or that of our children will never be exactly right and we all need a point at which to start, so why not take this as a starting point and begin now!

I would ask anyone who is sceptical just to try making some small, gradual changes and then see how good they or their children feel!

Always consult your doctor before making any dietary or lifestyle changes.

Graeme Owen is a nutritionist and fitness instructor in private practice and can be contacted by email on-graeme.owen@yahoo.com

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