6.2 Developing healthy eating habits

Developing healthy eating habits

The formation of healthy eating behaviours is part of each child's education. Although eating behaviours will go through a number of stages during childhood, habits established early in life are said to be long lasting. Now more than ever, our children need guidance to help them select a healthy diet and have healthy attitudes toward food.

Health problems related to poor choice of food and a lack of activity are common in Australia today. When we look at the adult health problems related to diet, we can see that many of them have their origins in eating habits established during childhood. Several nutritional problems already affect a significant number of Tasmanian children.

Overweight. Between 1985 and 1995 the prevalence of overweight Australian children aged seven to 15 years nearly doubled and rates of obesity almost tripled. (Magarey et al., 2001). It is estimated that approximately one in five Australian children are now either overweight or obese (Booth et al., 2001). Obese children have a 25 - 50% chance of progression to adult obesity and it may be as high as 78% in older obese adolescents (Koletzko et al., 2002).

Being overweight can lead to:

• increased blood fats (high levels of blood cholesterol and triglycerides)
• type 2 diabetes
• dental diseases
• lack of energy
• increased susceptibility to illness
• constipation.

Specific eating behaviours linked to poor nutrition in children include:

• skipping meals, especially breakfast
• snacking on foods of poor nutritional value and neglecting to eat nutritious meals
• regularly choosing snacks which are high in fat, salt or sugar
• regularly choosing sweet drinks rather than plain water to quench thirst
  (NH&MRC, 2003). 
  

A healthy canteen

The school canteen can help toimprovehealthandwellbeing by offering and promoting a selection of nutritious, tasty and attractive foods and supporting classroom nutrition education. 

A healthy canteen:

• models safe and healthy eating practices
• encourages children to make more informed choices about what they eat
• enables children to choose food which provides them with a variety of nutrients to complement the food they eat at home
• ensures the availability of attractively presented nutritious foods to children
• promotes foods that provide essential nutrients that are low in fat, salt and sugar
• provides children with opportunities to try new foods.

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