{"id":257886,"date":"2023-04-20T09:13:35","date_gmt":"2023-04-20T07:13:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/?p=130875"},"modified":"2023-04-20T09:13:35","modified_gmt":"2023-04-20T07:13:35","slug":"how-to-read-food-labels-to-ensure-your-kids-are-getting-the-right-nutrition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/how-to-read-food-labels-to-ensure-your-kids-are-getting-the-right-nutrition\/","title":{"rendered":"How to read food labels to ensure your kids are getting the right nutrition"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A key role for all parents and caregivers is ensuring children have a healthy, nutritious diet to grow and thrive both physically and mentally. Unfortunately, complicated and often misleading labels and marketing techniques make it difficult to discern what is healthy \u2013 and what is actually full of added sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no doubt that the right nutritional balance is a key component of children\u2019s growth and development, but it can be difficult for parents and caregivers to find this balance when they\u2019re not always sure what\u2019s in the food they\u2019re serving,\u201d explained Mbali Mapholi, Laager Tea4Kidz partner dietitian. \u201cWhile children\u2019s nutritional requirements will change as they grow, many of the fundamentals stay the same and it\u2019s vital that they\u2019re getting the right quantity of vitamins, minerals, healthy fats and macronutrients to maintain energy levels and ensure optimum health, while keeping added sugars and sodium as low as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Deciphering food labels<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mapholi explained that reading nutritional labels and understanding what constitutes a healthy amount of sugar, fats, and sodium is key, especially for younger children. She has shared her top 3 tips for reading food labels.<\/p>\n

1. Other names for sugars, fats, and sodium
Look out for sugar, fat, and sodium listed in the first five ingredients on food labels which means they are main ingredients in that particular item. However, they\u2019re not always listed as such, so it\u2019s important to look out for the following:<\/p>\n

a. Salt might be listed as baking powder, booster, celery salt, garlic salt, sodium, meat or yeast extract, onion salt, MSG, rock salt, sea salt, sodium bicarbonate, sodium metabisulphite, sodium nitrate, nitrate or stock cubes.<\/p>\n

b. Fat might be listed as beef fat, butter, shortening, coconut, palm oil, copha, cream, dripping, lard, mayonnaise, sour cream, vegetable oils and fats, hydrogenated oils, full cream milk powder, egg or mono\/di\/triglycerides.<\/p>\n

2. Check serving size (and take into account actual portion size)
When checking nutritional tables, always use the column that states the amount of sugars, fats, etc per serving size \u2013 and also try to determine whether the serving size is a practical portion size. If you think the portion size will be bigger or smaller than the stated serving size for your kids, take this into account when determining how much sugar, sodium and fat will be contained in a single serving for them.<\/p>\n

3. Not all fats are created equal
Kids need fats to grow, but too many saturated fats can negatively impact heart health. Foods with 1g or less of saturated fats per serving are considered low in saturated fat. It\u2019s also best to avoid trans fats as far as possible, for healthy arteries and better health overall. Avoid foods with hydrogenated oils\/fats which are the main source of trans fats in foods.<\/p>\n

Biggest risk factors for children<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cChildren often gravitate towards sugary or salty foods, and it\u2019s our job as parents and caregivers to have healthy options available that aren\u2019t laden with sugar and sodium, but are still tasty,\u201d Mapholi continued. \u201cMany foods that seem to be healthy actually contain a lot of hidden sugars and sodium. This includes fruit juices, sauces, cereals, dried fruit, and other snacks specifically designed for children.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the biggest concerns when it comes to children\u2019s diets is the excessive intake of sugary drinks. When it comes to sugar consumption, children between 2 and 18 years should be limited to 25 grams per day, which is less than six teaspoons.<\/p>\n

In a medical piece published by Harvard, Dr Frank Hu, Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health, said: \u201cThere is clear evidence that added sugars, especially sugary beverages, contribute to obesity and other metabolic problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Mapholi, the high intake of sugary drinks, including fruit juices, cordials, and fizzy drinks, is a major concern for South African children currently: \u201cThere are a lot of hidden sugars in these drinks, and we are urging parents and caregivers to veer away from these options for hydration, but rather choose water or Rooibos tea which are healthier options for children.\u201d<\/p>\n

Candice Sessions, Laager Marketing Manager, explained that there are many additional health benefits of drinking Laager\u2019s Rooibos tea range designed specifically for children: \u201cTea4Kidz Rooibos tea is naturally caffeine-free and sugar-free but this doesn\u2019t detract from the taste as Rooibos itself is naturally sweet.\u201d<\/p>\n

There is a range of flavours for all children to try, and these can be enjoyed hot or cold in the form of iced tea, iced lollies, and smoothies. Simply brew a cup of Tea4Kidz, cool it, pour it into an ice tray and freeze. These ice cubes can be added to smoothies and iced tea for added flavour.<\/p>\n

For iced tea, prepare the Tea4Kidz Rooibos, cool it, and add ice and fresh fruit (honey can also be added for some extra sweetness). This can then also be frozen into lolly moulds with fruit layered in for a healthy and refreshing ice lolly.<\/p>\n

Laager Tea4Kidz has a range of flavours, including 2 with added Vitamin C for even more health benefits. Parents and caregivers can also access a range of healthy recipes, advice and tips via the Joekels website, www.joekels.co.za, and via @Tea4Kidz on Facebook and @LaagerRooibosTea on Instagram.<\/p>\n

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Source: MyPR.co.za<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A key role for all parents and caregivers is ensuring children have a healthy, nutritious diet to grow and thrive both physically and mentally. Unfortunately, complicated and often misleading labels and marketing techniques make it difficult to discern what is healthy \u2013 and what is actually full of added sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats. \u201cThere […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":257887,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[9021],"tags":[3257],"class_list":{"0":"post-257886","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mypr","8":"tag-mypr","9":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/how-to-read-food-labels-to-ensure-your-kids-are-getting-the-right-nutrition.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/257886","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=257886"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/257886\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/257887"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=257886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=257886"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=257886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}