Health and lifestyle - CANNED FOOD UK
Feed their minds and their tummies!
How to prepare quick, nutritious family meals, straight off the shelf
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Parents naturaly wa nt the best for their children and worry about how to motivate and educate them to eat a balanced diet. However, millions of busy parents are endangering the health of their children by serving junk food at home because they believe they haven’t got time to prepare proper meals.
The rise in child obesity levels is a stark reminder that what we feed our children has a dramatic impact on their health. Among two to four year olds, obesity has doubled since the early 1990s, while the rate has trebled for six to 15 year olds. Fruit and vegetable consumption is low and children are eating too much of the wrong foods.
A recent survey of 1,500 parents across the UK revealed that there is widespread ignorance among parents about the government’s five-a-day scheme to promote healthy eating and 40% of parents admit the family ends up eating “unhealthy food” due to time pressures. And although 85% agree that involving children in the cooking process will help them form healthy eating habits, less than half of UK parents actually put that into practice. The poll also revealed that almost a third of parents spend only half an hour preparing the evening meal.
In response, Canned Food UK has teamed up with celebrity chef James Martin and Focus on Food, the UK’s foremost food education programme for schools to launch the Off the Shelf campaign to help educate parents on how they can cook quick, healthy meals for their children. Off the Shelf aims to help parents introduce and develop healthy, enjoyable eating habits in their children for life. The handy booklet is packed with recipes which include some canned food and healthy eating advice, giving parents easy access to nutritional information for children of all ages, to ensure they are fit and healthy at every stage of life.
The booklet is divided into four sections focusing on different age groups: two to four years; five to seven years; eight to 12 years and 13 years and upwards.
 Cans of baked beans and pineapple chunks are packed with essential nutrients |
Two to four years – fill their tummies
Active toddlers need energy, so it’s important to give them food to keep them going. Food preferences are formed at this age so begin to introduce a range of healthy new foods in a calm and unhurried way.
Nutrition tips include:
- Provide protein foods for growth, such as meat, fish and eggs
- Pulse vegetables such as baked beans contain slow-release energy to keep busy toddlers on the go
- Serve a variety of vegetables and fruit to provide a range of vitamins.
Five to seven years – find a balance
This is the age to make the most of your child’s growing independence. Encourage adventurous food choices, adding a variety of new tastes and textures to create a balanced diet. Nutrition tips include:
- Fruit and vegetables – whether canned, fresh, frozen, dried or juiced – are good for vitamins and fibre
- Use wholemeal bread for sandwiches as it contains complex carbohydrates which are digested slowly and help to prevent hunger pangs.
Eight to 10 years – fuel their bodies
What a child eats really does affect their ability to concentrate and maintain sustained physical activity throughout the school day. Start the day with a nourishing breakfast and serve balanced meals for their packed lunch and evening meal. Nutrition tips include:
- Add canned or fresh fruit and vegetables to dishes to boost children’s five-a-day intake
- Starchy foods such as rice, oats and noodles provide a healthy energy base to meals or snacks.
13 years and upwards – feed their minds
Teenagers need a high intake of calories, protein, vitamins and minerals, especially if they are studying. This is a crucial time for building muscles and bone mass and establishing height. Nutrition tips include:
- Concentrate on providing teenagers with the five key food groups each day: fruit and vegetables; starchy foods; plenty of protein such as lean meat, fish, cheese, eggs, milk and pulses such as lentils. Go easy on fats and sugary foods
- Eat iron-rich foods regularly, such as dark leafy greens, oily fish, red meat and wholemeal flower to boost concentration and mood.
Commenting on the campaign, James Martin says: “Feeding children nutritious food can be a challenge, particularly since their tastes and health needs change as they grow. The good news is that your kitchen cupboard already contains a range of nutritious foods. For instance, did you know that canned food not only counts toward your daily five a day, but is also higher in beta-carotene, iron and calcium than freshly boiled vegetables?
“Off the Shelf has been created to provide parents with a useful guide to feeding their children at every ‘life stage’. With advice for parents of each age group, recipes and challenges to get the children involved in cooking, Off the Shelf shows that you don’t need to spend huge amounts of time or money to give kids a healthy diet.” The Off the Shelf campaign is backed by food education charity Focus on Food.
Veggie Patch Pie
Lightly grease a two-litre ovenproof dish. Arrange the following ingredients in even layers beginning with 1 x 420g can of baked beans. Then add 1 x 420g can of green beans, 1 x 300g can of sliced mushrooms and lastly 2 x 392g cans of minced beef. Top with 1 x 820g can new potatoes (drained and grated coarsely). Sprinkle with 50g grated Cheddar cheese. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 200°C/400°F/Gas 6 until golden brown and piping hot. Nutrition guide per 370g serving:
(Inset: James Martin) |
The charity teaches thousands of school children cooking skills and healthy eating on board its Cooking Buses. As well as being available free of charge from Canned Food UK, Off the Shelf booklets are distributed via Focus on Food Cooking Buses, which travel around the country promoting practical food education in schools and encouraging children to improve their diets.
Anita Cormac from Focus on Food comments: “Parents are bombarded with information about the foods they should be feeding their children. Off the Shelf provides nutritional advice in an easily understood and engaging format. By getting children involved in the kitchen, the healthy eating habits they form should carry into adult life, giving them the best possible start.”
To give you a taste of some of the delicious, nutritious, but more importantly healthy recipes included in Off the Shelf, why not try James Martin’s “Veggie Patch Pie” above?
To order your free copy of the Off the
Shelf pack or any other free material,
visit:
www.cannedfood.co.uk
or call:
Freephone on 0800 243364
