Tackling child obesity
10 percent of 6 year olds and 17 percent of 15 year olds in the UK are obese. This figure has tripled in the last 20 years. (*)
What’s in a bit of fat?
Being fat isn’t just a cosmetic issue; obesity in adults is linked to increasing risk of developing other chronic diseases, such as heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, chest infections, varicose veins, gall stones and some forms of osteoarthritis.
What can you do?
Setting a good example for children so that they develop healthy balanced eating habits will help to equip children with an important lifestyle skill that can help in the battle of the bulge. Learning to love fruit and vegetables is crucial.
Create nutritious feasts your kids will love... slice them, dice them or eat them whole, Sunsweet® prunes are the perfect aid. Because they’re gloriously rich in flavour and brilliantly adaptable in the kitchen they make a welcome addition to pizzas and salads, yoghurts and cakes (see the recipe section). You can even substitute cooking fat for prune puree, something actively encouraged in US schools. This not only makes the meal more nutritious, but far less fattening.
Healthy Bites
You can also try HUMZINGERS®, the real fruit kids love; they're free from added sugar and preservatives and are 100% pure fruit. Just one HUMZINGERS Fruit Stix is equivalent to one portion of the recommended five daily portions of fruit and vegetables. See for yourself; visit www.humzingers.co.uk.
One other thing...
Prunes provide slow release energy, another good reason why Californian prunes are an excellent choice in between meals and for kids playing sports.
Prunes have a low Glycaemic Index (GI) of 29. The Glycaemic Index ranks foods according to how quickly they release sugar (glucose) into the bloodstream when they are digested. Foods with a low GI, like prunes, release their sugars more gradually into the blood stream.
(*) http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health/conditions/obesity2.shtml