Over the last few years there has been a drive to improve awareness of the worrying problem of increasing childhood obesity with the main causal factors being the over-availability of high fat content junk food combined with poor nutritional education regarding the actual content of many processed foods.

If everyone was aware of the fact that one meal from a well known fast food company contains the total recommended daily allowance of fat for an adult how many parents would still be happy for their children to consume it. There is now nutritional information posted in some outlets though if you do not know how to decipher the large amount of information thrown at you then it will just appear to be random information.

Healthy food = Healthy kids

However we are not here to solve the problem of childhood obesity but to examine what you can do to prevent it escalating. It is a well known fact that children love junk food and sweets, unfortunately junk food and sweets do not love them and with decreasing levels of exercise these “little” treats can escalate into a much larger problem.

Therefore everything you can do to reduce the amount of sugar in a childs diet is a step in the right direction.
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Unfortunately traditional party food ie sausage rolls, mini sausages, chicken dippers etc, are very high in fats and sugars and that’s wheat gives them their “more-ish” appeal. So, the question is how do you serve a healthy, appealing party meal without just putting a pile of fruit and vegetables on the table. Well, the answer is presentation.

Firstly though you have to establish the eating habits of your guests s ironically the low quality of food available nowadays has resulted in a higher level of food intolerances. So when distributing invites put on them a section for any dietary requirements and you can adjust your menu accordingly.

For party drinks steer clear of fizzy drinks as they are very high in sugar and can seriously damage the enamel of childrens teeth. If you want a slightly more exciting variation of fruit juice why not try making smoothies and to make it an interactive event put out bowls of fruit (strawberries, bananas, kiwis etc) and get the children to select their own.

So here are a few suggestions to get you started:

  • Have lots of fruit available or fun fruit kebabs
  • Use low fat options where available but be aware as some products replace sugar with salt so check the sodium chloride levels on the nutrition information.
  • Put low fat mayo on bread when making sandwiches instead of butter.
  • Don’t fry any food, grill it instead and let the fat run off.
  • Do not put any nuts out. Not only is there increasing levels of nut allergy they also contain 50% fat.

So good luck and healthy eating!