Julie Dean's daily nutrifix

Drink Up

Lots in the news today about what we are drinking. Of particular interest is the study on children from the University of East London shows that drinking water has a direct link to children performing better in tests. Sounds simple but so often overlooked – as children so often go for long periods without stopping for a drink. In one of the first studies of its kind, researchers looked at the effects of water on the performance of 58 children between 7 and 9 years old. Half the group were given a 250ml glass of water and both groups then took a variety of tests 20 minutes later.

The children who had consumed the water performed up to a third better than the children who hadn’t. This is one of the first studies of its kind and clearly demonstrates the importance of drinking water and the boost it offers to cognitive performance. As water accounts for a larger proportion of children’s bodies compared to adults, making water depletion more likely, it is even more important to keep children adequately hydrated.

Children should drink about 6-8 glass per day – and all soft drinks will count. It can sometimes be hard to get kids to drink enough, they are often just to busy and having fun so can’t be bothered or they simply don’t like what is on offer. Variety, enjoyment and always having something available are key. Look at labels to choose whether you want a low sugar drink, which is perfect for hydration or with added sugar when a pick me up is needed.

Mum gets the blame again

In my mind the latest Change4Life advert which focuses on giving kids less to eat at
meal times is not helpful as it has another knock at meal times. I think more mums
struggle to get kids to save their appetite for a good healthy meal and to keep snacking
to a minimum.

The ad has also come under fire from leading eating disorder charity, Beat, for pushing
 “unhelpful” health messages.  Susan Ringwood, chief executive of Beat, said although
advice to eat sensible portions was sound, the NHS backed campaign had health messages
 damaging to people with anorexia.

The ad, made by Wallace and Gromit creator Aardman, encourages parents
to control their children’s portions by serving “me-size meals”.
In the ad, an overfed child complains that his parents are feeding him too much.
For the full article: http://www.thegrocer.co.uk/?page=home
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