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Eat well and be active every day

We all know that for our children to enjoy a lifetime of good health, they need to eat well and be active. Fortunately there are easy ways to make this happen. But first it is important to understand what eating well and being active really means.

A young boy and girl walking with balloons

Eat well

Eating well means enjoying a wide variety of nutritious foods from each of the five food groups, every day.

The five food groups are:

bread, cereals, rice, pasta, noodles
vegetables, legumes
fruit
milk, yoghurt, cheese
lean meat, fish, poultry, eggs, nuts, legumes.¹

Children and adolescents should be encouraged to:

eat plenty of vegetables, legumes and fruits
eat plenty of cereals, including breads, rice, pasta and noodles preferably wholegrain
include lean meat, fish, poultry and nuts
include milks, yoghurts and cheeses. (Reduced-fat milks are not suitable for children under two years of age because of their high energy needs, but reduced-fat varieties should be encouraged for older children and adolescents.)
drink plenty of water.

Make sure you:

limit saturated fat and moderate total fat intake, but be aware that low-fat diets are not suitable for infants
choose foods low in salt
consume only moderate amounts of sugars and foods containing added sugars
prepare and store food safely.²

¹ The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating
² National Health and Medical Research Council 2003, Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents in Australia.

Be active

A family of two adults and two children walking

Encourage your children to do at least one hour of moderate-to-vigorous intensity activity each day. A moderate-intensity activity, such as going for a brisk walk, makes you feel warm and breathe more heavily than usual, but doesn't make you puff. Vigorous activity, such as running and swimming, makes you short of breath.

Being active not only keeps your children fit and healthy, it improves confidence, self-esteem and concentration, helps manage stress and enhances social skills such as teamwork and friendship.

"While activity time can be spread throughout the day, aim for children to be active non-stop for at least 10 to 15 minutes at a time," says Sport and Recreation Queensland Executive Director, Craig Matheson.

Incorporating activities into your children's day is as simple as:

walking to and from school
playing sports or games at lunch time, after school and on weekends
riding a bike
swimming at the beach or local pool.

A man's head made out of different fruits and vegetables

Before and after your children start an activity, it's important they do some basic stretching and warming up movements to avoid muscle soreness and injury.

Your children also need to wear comfortable clothes, supportive shoes and sun protection and they should drink plenty of water before, during and after an activity to avoid dehydration.

Go for 2&5®

Fruit and vegetables are an essential part of a balanced diet, helping us to stay healthy and preventing a range of diseases, including coronary heart disease and some forms of cancer.

A diet high in fresh fruit and vegetables can also reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels and help control diabetes.

"Most people know fruit and vegetables are good for you but eating more fruit and vegies may be the single most important dietary change needed to improve health and reduce the risk of disease," says Queensland Health's Principal Public Health Nutritionist, Dr Amanda Lee.

Research shows that, on average, Queenslanders only eat about half the recommended daily amount of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend two serves of fruit and five serves of vegetables every day for adults. The amount children need depends on their age.

Drawing of half cup cooked vegetables equals one medium potato equals one cup salad vegetables. 1 piece of fruit equals 2 small pieces of apricot equals 1 cup chopped fruit

One serve of fruit means 150 grams or:

1 medium piece (e.g. apple) = 2 small pieces (e.g. apricots) = 1 cup chopped or canned fruit.

One serve of vegetables means 75 grams or:

cup cooked vegetables or cooked legumes = 1 medium potato = 1 cup salad vegetables

It's easy to 'Go for 2&5®'. Simply add an extra serve to the meals and snacks your children already eat.

Fruit

Add fruit to breakfast cereal or yoghurt.
Blend soft fruit such as bananas and strawberries with low-fat milk, yoghurt and ice for a frothy fruit smoothie.
Add chopped fruit to savoury salads.

Vegetables

Add extra vegetables or legumes (beans, lentils or dried peas) to stews, casseroles, soups, stir-fries, pasta and rice dishes.
Top English muffins or crumpets with diced vegetables and sprinkle with low-fat cheese for a quick mini-pizza.
Add an extra serve of salad to your sandwich or roll.
Cook vegies with an egg or low-fat cheese and serve on toast.

Further information

For more information and free recipes:

Website:: www.gofor2and5.com.au