How childcare centre menus set the foundations for good health
This Nutrition Week we spoke to researcher Ruth Wallace about how childcare centre menus set the framework for good physical, emotional and social development.
Ruth, a nutrition researcher at Edith Cowan University, said that the standard of childcare food varies greatly and that childcare workers play a vital role in long term health.
For some children, what they consume at childcare may be the only food they eat all day.
"What I've established is that optimal early childhood nutrition is absolutely essential for their physical, social and emotional development but it also contributes heavily to their health status in adult life.
"What we also know is that childcare workers themselves play a really important role in the children's long term health because obviously they are responsible for providing that food but also for role modelling positive behaviours and dealing with very complex issues like children who are fussy eaters... parental influence and influence from outside agencies like legislation they have to abide to."
Ruth said the best childcare menus include red meat three to for times over a fortnight and white meat two to four times.
The menu should be varied and feature fresh and seasonal produce.
Parents who want to follow a similarly nutritious menu at home should invest time to plan and shop for the week ahead.
When packing lunchboxes, processed and packaged foods should be avoided as well as juices and flavoured milks.
Every lunchbox should include a piece of fruit and water.
Ruth's top tip for Nutrition Week is to eat a wide range of foods.
"Think about food variety in your diet, try and eat as many different foods as possible over a week and try and avoid eating the same things day after day," she said.
"That way you're going to make sure you get a wide range of nutrients in your diet and you're also going to ensure you're getting a wide range of antioxidants which is so important to us in the prevention of chronic disease."