Food for thought!

When it comes to the holidays, we’re all guilty of falling out of routine with eating habits and children are no different! Holidays, day trips, camp activities and the warmer weather (when we actually get it) can mean we are grabbing food on the go, snacking more and eating ice-lollies and ice-cream. Of course, this is all good, as long as it’s in moderation!

The truth is that eating healthy food and keeping hydrated play a huge role in how we perform everyday, be it at school, work and sport. This isn’t always easy as we are surrounded by huge food manufacturers’ marketing campaigns, which usually catch the attention of the children!

We have put together some suggestions to help keep your food and drink choices on point during the busy or lazy summer days.

Fuel up for energy

Carbohydrates are essential to give our bodies the energy needed to work and play! Here are some simple food suggestions to help boost energy levels throughout the day:

• Toast with banana, nut butter, or baked beans
• Chicken with rice and salad
• Jacket potato with beans, tuna or chicken, and salsa
• Yoghurt drink with a scone and low-fat spread
• Low-fat creamed rice with dried fruit
• Low-fat yoghurt and fruit
• Bagel with cream cheese or peanut butter
• Ham, tuna, or turkey sandwich with a drink of water
• Fruit and low-fat milk

Stayed hydrated

Staying hydrated is important for lots of reasons: for keeping cool, regulating blood pressure, lubricating joints, preventing muscle cramps, and keeping our brains working in top condition. Even small levels of dehydration can reduce both our physical and mental performance. An easy way to know if you’re properly hydrated is to look at the colour of your urine. It should be a pale yellow. If it’s darker, you need to drink more water – try to avoid energy drinks (they don’t really give you energy or wings!)! Research has found that one energy drink (500ml) can contain up to 14 teaspoons of sugar and about 3 cups of espresso. This is why under 18s are not recommended to drink energy drinks at all.

Hopefully some food and fluid for thought! For more advice and idea, visit Safe Food.