It’s good to be full of beans
National Nutrition Week was celebrated from October 9 to 15, culminating in World Food Day on October 16. This year the theme was “Love your beans – eat dry beans, peas and lentils!”, which was specifically chosen to be consistent with the designation of 2016 as the International Year of Pulses by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations. Experts share their thoughts with
on the simple yet nutritious food type
IN A recent study, two university researchers found that mothers in Cape Town with primary school children faced a daily challenge in making food choices that would teach their children healthy eating habits and reduce the risk of disease later in life.
“Dietary habits, including healthy food choices acquired during childhood, often persist into adulthood and lay the foundation for adult health and quality of life,” said Yolande Smit, a lecturer in human nutrition at Stellenbosch University’s faculty of medicine and health sciences.
Smit and colleague Nelene Koen, also a lecturer in human nutrition, investigated the factors that influenced the food choices of these mothers.
They found that mothers were challenged daily when making food choices, having to consider multiple factors such as the price, taste, children’s preferences and nutritional value of products. In addition, time constraints, family preference and peer pressure from their children’s friends complicated food choice even more.
According to Koen, mothers who participated in this study had fairly good nutrition knowledge, but found it difficult to translate knowledge into practice. Mothers expressed a need for a more supportive environment to assist them in making healthy food choices the easiest choice.
Barriers discussed included the layout of supermarkets and mixed messages from the media and the school environment.
Working mothers in the study explained that busy work and family schedules led to a greater reliance on convenience food or fast foods. These options are usually higher in fat, sugar and salt than home-cooked meals.
Although the home is a logical place to foster healthy eating habits, studies have shown that food choices are complex and influenced by factors including nutrition knowledge, socioeconomic status, cost, taste, children’s preferences and culture.
This research further emphasises the importance of ongoing nutrition education and support of mothers to promote healthy lifestyle behaviour in their children. “A further need highlighted was for healthier convenience food options for working mothers,” Koen said.
Doctors, health professionals and magazines were listed as the main sources of nutrition information for this group of mothers. It was therefore crucial the correct nutrition messages we conveyed through such sources.
Smit explained that it was important to study eating habits of young children to be able to advise health-care practitioners, policymakers and the government.
Childhood obesity, a risk factor for non-communicable diseases such as Type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease, often tracks into adulthood and is associated with growing up in an environment that promotes gaining weight and is not conducive to weight loss.