Julie Dean's daily nutrifix

Netmums Chatter

I’ve noticed there has been some chat on Netmums around drinks for young children and in particular the value of Fruit Shoot. My heart goes out to mums over all the anguish around what to give young children to drink – we mums are meant to understand so much!

I wish this communication was around when my girls were young – they are teenagers now so I should probably find a site to help me!

Being a qualified nutritionist helps me in one area at least when it comes to being a mum! My advice is that pre school children need to be encouraged to drink a little and often – the best choices would be milk, diluted fruit juice andwater but well diluted squashes are fine for this very young group too. All Robinsons drinks are free from artificial flavours and colours.

The issues are different once they start school, mainly because they often then do not drink enough – they are simply too busy with all their activities, can’t be bothered or don't like what’s on offer.  This is where drinks like Fruit Shoot, designed for on-the-go, can play a valuable role.

When it comes to ingredients and making choices – you do need to consider the needs of your child at that particular time and in the context of what they are doing that day. To me it’s all about variety – we tend to go for the 100% juice at breakfast or lunch - because it’s a convenient way of having  one of your five a day. If I want my girls to have some energy as well as good hydration – such as when they come out of school and go straight to a sports activity I'm happy for them to have drinks with  some sugar such as a regular Robinsons squash or a Fruit Shoot.

  

When it’s purely hydration they need (sometimes this can be mistaken for hunger!) then they might go for an artificial sweetened drink. I think artificial sweeteners are overly criticised and misunderstood. They can actually have a very valuable role in making great tasting products which are virtually calorie free. The sweetener aspartame is one of the most thoroughly tested ingredients of all time (just last month another report from the European Food Safety Association, has once again given it the all clear).  In reality aspartame brings nothing new to the diet. It is made up of two amino acids –which are the building blocks of protein – and you will find these amino acids naturally occurring in many foods. The amino acids are incredibly sweet – in fact these same amino acids are found in breast milk and they contribute to its sweetness -  so only a very small amount is needed to be added to drinks to get some sweetness.

As with all things its balance and moderation and helping your children to make good choices – simply banning a food can often make it even more desirable.

One final point I wanted to touch on that was raised in the Netmums forum was the ingredients in Fruit Shoot.  A list of the ingredients was posted in the forum; however this was actually an outdated list as none of the Fruit Shoot products contain sodium benzoate.

If you’d like to have more information on the Robinsons range, or ingredients, click here and do please get in touch if you want more advice.

Sweet news on Aspartame

Most of us enjoying keeping hydrated by choosing a variety of drinks through the day ranging from water to pepsi. I tend to balance those which contain sugar and/or fruit juice to give me some energy as well as hydration with those  which are sugar free but which contain artificial sweeteners. The option to choose drinks with artificial sweeteners is very helpful when you want hydration but not the calories. However some people are concerned about the safety of artificial sweeteners such as aspartame - in spite of it being one of the most thorough researched food ingredients of all time. We can be further reassured  by a recent report (a report that received no media coverage, probably because it was too positive!) was that the European Food Standard Agency (EFSA) published the results of an extensive review of the research looking into the use aspartame. The EFSA Panel concluded:

"... on the basis of all the evidence currently available including the last published ERF study that there is no indication of any genotoxic or carcinogenic potential of aspartame and that there is no reason to revise the previously established ADI for aspartame of 40 mg/kg bw/day."

Support Breakfast!

I’m such a believer that breakfast is such an important meal especially for children and numerous studies show that if children start the day with some food and have something to drink their concentration and alertness is improved.

However according to a report last week, the most popular brands of breakfast cereal - including those targeted at children contain too much sugar. This report was widely reported on by the media which in the main part was very negative for breakfast cereals. In my opinion much of the coverage was misleading and may stop mums giving their children breakfast cereals all together. Yes there is sugar in some of children's breakfast cereals but per portion when served with milk this is not such a large part of their GDA for sugar. It is ridiculous to compare with the sugar in a chocolate bar because most of these cereals also supply young children with much needed mineral and vitamins and some contain wholegrain fiber as well as the goodness from the milk.

Giving children something they enjoy at breakfast helps to encourage the sensible and lifelong habit of making time for breakfast. As they get older their tastes change and they tend to move on from the more child like cereals but the breakfast habit is there.

Its thirsty work..

My heart goes out to the children taking their key stage 2 sats exams this month. In spite of all the best intentions, getting them to bed early, making sure they are eating proper meals and encouraging them to keep hydrated, it can be so very stressful for them and their parents. Good luck!

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
 (Subscription required for the full article)

An interesting study about what mums choose to buy/eat at home

A recent study from the Food Standards Agency showed that when mums are choosing what to buy to eat at home, the top answers were: food that is healthy (60%), value for money (55%), and what Mum, or the family, likes (49%).   To me this highlights the importance of balancing healthy eating advice with thought to enjoyment and taste. No food or drink is nutritious or hydrating unless it is consumed!

Struggling to lose some excess weight? Then get more sleep!

When I’m very tired and busy I know I tend to snack more and don’t think so much about what I'm snacking on. I know from friends that I'm not alone in this. It can be especially true for mates who are new mums and it can make it hard for them to get back to their pre birth weight. Well it seems there is some science behind this.

A study of the effects of sleep restriction showed increased calorie intake from snacks, particularly between the hours of 7pm to 7am. Sleep deprived individuals were also more likely to choose high carbohydrate foods. The researchers considered that poor sleeping habits alter our hormonal regulation of hunger and appetite.

So mums, or anyone - when you are trying to lose weight make sure you are getting enough sleep first!

For more info click here
 

Welcome to your daily nutrifix!

I’m Julie and this is my first ever blog post – but I can so see the sense of them. As a nutritionist I love keeping up to date on the all the latest food fads and digging down to find the science (if any!) behind them. Unsurprisingly I get asked by family, friends and colleagues a work about all kinds of food and health issues. I look forward to these blog posts being a great way to exchange comments and debate advice.

I feel very fortunate that my career as a nutritionist and dietitian – spanning some twenty years – has allowed me to work in a variety of settings, starting in the NHS supporting patients with a wide range of dietary issues from irritable bowel syndrome to victims with multiple burns. My more recent working life outside the NHS has included being part of public health campaigns and developing health communications for various food and beverage companies.

But what has grounded me most when it comes to giving nutrition advice is being a mum of two - now reaching their teenage years. It seems to me that the frank and honest communications that can build up among Mums/carers is a hugely valuable way of spreading good nutrition and lifestyle advice – the difference being it’s not all theory because it’s being given by those who are putting it into practice day in day out!!

My philosophy is not to be too black and white when making decisions about what we should or shouldn’t do to keep ourselves and our families’ healthy.  I don’t believe there is a one size that fits all approach. Importantly keeping fit and healthy should not be a daily grind but an enjoyable way of life.  It is fine to set yourself goals but make them realistic and relevant to you. Denying yourself simple pleasures or committing yourself to exercise programmes you resent does not do anyone any good.

I would always recommend anyone who has a particular dietary concern, whatever it may be - their weight or a suspected food allergy to ask their GP to refer them to a Registered Dietitian for advice but when it comes to actually making dietary and lifestyle changes the emphasis must always be on the individual and what works best for them.