Recently Michele Chevalley Hedge spoke at a Wellbeing Conference hosted at Emanuel School on the topic ‘Healthy body and brain in your child – It’s all in their food’. Her presentation inspired me personally to consider my diet, but also to think about the messages we are giving children about healthy eating and living.
Michele is a qualified nutritionist, international author and founder of ‘A Healthy View’. Michele has appeared on Sunrise, 2UE and has published hundreds of articles though MINDFOOD, Vogue, Prevention and Good Health. Below is some of the eye-opening research and key tips Michele gave during her presentation.
- Across the world obesity rates are soaring. One out of four people are overweight, obese or have Diabetes Type Two. Obesity and being overweight can lead to a range of other health concerns including infertility, cholesterol difficulties, poor energy, digestion issues and a multitude of diseases. In addition, being overweight due to poor food choices can link to brain burnout such as brain fog, poor memory and cognitive dysfunction.
- What we eat has a significant impact on so many aspects of our body and its functioning. Some of these include hair, teeth, sleep, skin, heart, thyroid, physical shape, memory, mood and self esteem.
- There are so many diets available on the market so it can be difficult to know what to follow. However, the best guiding principles are to eat real whole food, to try and eat slow burning, fresh, seasonal and organic foods (where possible). We should eat a combination of good fats, quality protein and smart carbohydrates. Good fats help our brain function, balance hormone levels and turn off sugar cravings. Quality protein assists with immunity, healthy nails, stops hunger and balances blood sugar. Smart carbohydrates are slow burning and give fuel for the brain and body.
- Many carbohydrates have very high sugar levels. The World Health Organisation recommends that we eat no more than 6-9 teaspoons of sugar a day. But many children eat about 40 teaspoons of sugar a day.
- Sugar can cause a range of health concerns. Some of these include gut issues, suppressed immune system, exhaustion, hyperactivity, concentration difficulties, acne, inflammation, changed hormones, raised cholesterol and Diabetes.
- We should focus on eating slow burning food as these release energy slower. These foods help you feel full for longer and therefore eat less. Some examples include quality protein and fats, whole grain pasta and breads, fruit smoothies with yoghurt, almonds, seeds, fruits and vegetables, beans, lentils, chickpeas, hummus and grain crackers.
Michele has three tips for assessing the sugar levels and recommends you share these children:
- Read the label: Look at the ingredients. If you recognise the names of the ingredients and there aren’t too many chemicals and additives, then this is a good start.
- Look at the serving size: If the serving size is very small, then this may be a good sign that there is a lot of sugar.
- Look at the sugar: Multiply the grams of sugar by the serving size per package or the number of servings you are about to eat. Then divide by 4. This gives you a rough estimate of the amount of sugar. For children dividing by 4, encourage them to halve and halve again.
Question for you: What tips do you have for encouraging children to eat healthy food?
