Nutritionist's Advice
Meet our MeadowLea Consultant Nutritionist: Karen Kingham
Karen Kingham has been a dietitian for more than 15 years and is a proud mother of two children - Ella (9) and Samuel (6). She is passionate about sharing her knowledge to help others enjoy healthy great-tasting food and is the author of several cookbooks, as well as a nutrition expert for the BBC Australian Good Food magazine. Karen believes that teaching children healthy eating habits is important so she has made the Plant Seed Promise.
Karen says:
"According to the Heart Foundation, by simply swapping butter for margarine on your kids' daily toast and sandwiches, you can save them more than 2.5kg of saturated fat a year*.
Saturated fats are unhealthy fats that come mostly from animal products. They generally raise LDL-cholesterol levels, known as 'bad' cholesterol. High levels of 'bad' LDL-cholesterol encourage build-up inside blood vessels causing them to become clogged over time.
Recent research indicates that cholesterol is not just a problem for the grown-ups. According to a study published in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, healthy weight children as young as six can have worryingly high levels of cholesterol^.
If your family can avoid excessive amounts of saturated fat it will benefit their health. I made the swap to margarine a long time ago for my family's health."
Meet our MeadowLea Consultant Nutritionist: Tara Diversi
MeadowLea's Consultant Nutritionist, Tara Diversi recommends that rather than limiting the amount of fat in our diet, we replace the 'nasty fat'; like saturated fats with good fats such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats as part of a balanced diet.
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents#, we should all aim to help our children to eat a variety of foods from each of the core food groups as well as reducing saturated fat and sodium in our diets.
The good news is that we can all make small changes that can have big impacts on our health and the health of our kids.
Tara has some great tips to help get you and your family started on a healthier path.
Some simple suggestions include:
- Increasing good fats, by reducing saturated fats
- Replace bad fats such as butter with good fats such as MeadowLea margarine spread and vegetable oils such as canola oil.
- Use MeadowLea on bread or toast
- Use MeadowLea in cooking (such as in sauces and on top of vegetables)
- Cook your meals in a healthy oil such as canola oil, sunflower oil and vegetable oils
- Eat a handful of nuts for snacks
- Eat lean meats and cut all the visible fats off meat. Kangaroo meat is high in monounsaturated fats.
- Aim to eat fish 2 – 3 times per week. Oily fish such as Salmon and Mackerel are high in Omega-3 fats.
- Limit baked treats such as cakes and biscuits. These foods are high in hidden fats and are a big contributor to our saturated fat intake.
- Choose low fat dairy products such as milk and cheese.
General healthy eating tips
- Grate extra vegetables such as carrot and zucchini into meat dishes if you find it hard to get veggies into your kids
- Swap your white breads for wholemeal or whole grain, such as Helgas.
- Choose wholemeal and brown pasta and rice
- Pack water bottles for school and work lunches
- Limit sugary drinks such as cordials and juices and keep them weak
- Eat unhealthy (junk) foods away from the house as special occasions so your kid’s know they are not everyday foods
- Introduce new foods to your kid’s often. Taste is more about familiarity than taste buds.
* based on average usage of 20g of butter daily. Heart Foundation - Media Release, 4 June 2011, 'Reduce saturated fat' urges Heart Foundation after major review.
^ Bell, L. M., Curran, J. A., Byrne, S., Roby, H., Suriano, K., Jones, T. W. and Davis, E. A. (2011), High incidence of obesity co-morbidities in young children: A cross-sectional study. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1754.2011.02102.x
# http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/PUBLICATIONS/synopses/_files/n34.pdf