By Anne-Marie De Beer, Nutrition, Health and Wellness Manager, Nestlé East and Southern Africa

The holidays are a great time for caregivers and kids to cook together. Families can use this time, away from work and school, to reconnect with each other by cooking together and teaching their families valuable skills.  Skills such as how to prepare family recipes, learn how meals/dishes are put together, and the nutritional value behind these foods.

Caregivers who want to cook with their children are often faced with trying to figure out how to make it fun and engaging. Here are some ideas for easy kitchen activities that will make cooking together a fun experience:

Start small and encourage play!
Make kitchen time fun by encouraging play.  Getting comfortable in the kitchen goes beyond  watching but also involves handling food and cooking utensils. We want our kids to feel like the kitchen is their space. Allowing kids to handle ingredients, wash produce, or even simply play with toys within the cooking area creates a connection. Set up a “sensory activity” like allowing kids to use measuring cups and spoons to practice scooping and levelling. You can take this a step further and let them measure the basic ingredients such as sugar and flour, and let them sift it afterwards (if that is what the recipe requires)

Make up songs for simple tasks and make it fun
Humming a song, putting on your child’s favourite soundtrack, or creating your very own cooking jingle, can lighten the mood for both of you. This is  very effective when teaching kids skills that require patience like stirring slowly or taking turns. Children will learn to love cooking if you relax and have fun with them in the kitchen. Give the children an opportunity to experiment with your guidance and only step in when it's necessary, otherwise let them enjoy and create.

Embrace the mess
Cooking is messy, there is no way to completely avoid it. Kids learn so much from exploring. Don’t mind the mess, let them be creative and have fun. Wiping down the counter or washing up dishes can be a mutual  activity. 

Create food art and encourage their imagination
Make healthy eating fun for kids by getting creative at mealtimes. Presenting food in the form of a picture or simple pattern, or decorating the rim of the plate, can make it more exciting and enticing for children. Animals and faces are always popular, and broccoli and cauliflower make excellent trees! Why not let kids cut carrots and cucumbers with cookie cutters, into interesting shapes like hearts, stars and diamonds.

Encourage your kids to be imaginative in the kitchen. Give them free reign when decorating their cookies or challenge them to create a fruit-salad rainbow or vegetable animals. Turn it into a contest to see who can come up with the best design. But remember, everyone is a winner as they all get to enjoy a delicious prize. 

ROLL, ROLL, ROLL THE DOUGH

Get your pre-schoolers involved teaching them about the dough. Helping to roll out or kneaddough will give their muscles a good workout, and they’ll be amazed when they see the results of their labour.

Children tend to eat more of the healthy food on their plates when they help prepare it. There are lots of tasks that your children can help with. Washing, grating, or mashing are all fun activities for kids. And don’t forget the washing up too!

For fun recipes and more tips, visit the Nestlé for Healthier Kids site: www.nestle-esar.com/N4HK

ENDS

Contact:

Nestlé East and Southern African Region (ESAR)
Rosalie Ambrose 
Tel: 079 526 8518
Email: Rosalie.ambrose@za.nestle.com

Issued by Weber Shandwick on behalf of Nestlé East and Southern Africa Region
Matlhodi Mathabatha
Tel: +27 73 357 8133
Email: mmathabatha@webershandwick.com 

About Nestlé 
Nestlé is the world’s largest food and beverage company. It is present in 187 countries around the world, and its 291,000 employees are committed to Nestlé’s purpose of unlocking the power of food to enhance quality for everyone, today and for generations to come. Nestlé offers a wide portfolio of products and services for people and their pets throughout their lives. Its more than 2,000 brands range from global icons like Nescafé or Nespresso to local favourites like Ricoffy. Company performance is driven by its Nutrition, Health, and Wellness strategy. Nestlé is based in the Swiss town of Vevey where it was founded more than 150 years ago.
 

By Anne-Marie De Beer, Nutrition, Health and Wellness Manager, Nestlé East and Southern African Region (ESAR). 

According to the World Health Organisation, more than 2 billion people over the world are affected by micronutrient deficiencies, the bulk of that number is in developing countries. 
Micronutrients account for approximately 7% of the global disease burden, and they play a key role in the growth and development of the whole family. In South Africa, studies have shown that adults are prone to zinc deficiency and that one in five children are stunted, therefore, addressing micronutrient deficiencies is a crucial step in the health and wellness of the whole family.

Micronutrient Deficiency is something we cannot easily detect as cough or colds. It is called “hidden hunger” because a person who looks normal, with normal weight and physique, may not know that they are already suffering from nutrition deficiencies. 
To help us and caregivers know whether your children have nutrition deficiencies, here are some of the signs or manifestations you can look out for. 
• Do they feel tired early in the morning, even before they go to school? 
• Do they have a hard time focusing in class? 
• Do your kids easily get sick?

Hidden Hunger in adults and the ageing population places them at risk of nutrition related diseases. Our Gogos and aboMkhulu who suffer from micronutrient deficiencies may present as having cognitive and physiological problems such as memory loss, decreased taste and smell, loss of appetite and the inability to independently, shop, cook and look after themselves not withstanding the normal aging process. 

Here are some tips to get more nutritious meals for the whole family. 

Power of Vegetables

For your family’s optimal health, add green vegetables such as green beans, spinach, cabbage, broccoli and peas. Yellow veggies such as carrots, pumpkin, and sweet potato. These vegetables are high in fibre – to help control blood sugar levels, folate; a very important B vitamin, magnesium, vitamin A and potassium. Make your family part of the shopping and preparation of these veggies to ensure commitment to eating them. 

Have more colours on the plate, in the lunch boxes or for snacking
The best way to prevent micronutrient deficiencies is to ensure variety on the plate, have a full colour  meal every day of the week and not only on Sundays and special occasions. This you can do by planning your meals, this will create excitement for mealtimes and a giant step in giving yourself and your family a fighting chance to live up to their full potential.

Dairy Goodness
A glass of milk has nutrients such as calcium which is important for strong bones, vitamin D – a special vitamin important for our immune system and potassium – ensures proper function of the muscles and nerves. Dairy-based products such as NESTLÉ EVERYDAY come highly recommended as they are easy to prepare and help to ensure that you still meet your families’ nutritional needs.

For more tips from Nestlé for Healthier kids visit www.nestle-esar.com/N4HK 

ENDS. 

Contact:

Nestlé East and Southern African Region (ESAR)
Rosalie Ambrose 
Tel: 079 526 8518
Email: Rosalie.ambrose@za.nestle.com

Issued by Weber Shandwick on behalf of Nestlé East and Southern Africa Region
Name Tankiso Motsoeneng
Tel: +27 61 374 7539
Email: tmotsoeneng@webershandwick.com 

About Nestlé 
Nestlé is the world’s largest food and beverage company. It is present in 187 countries around the world, and its 291,000 employees are committed to Nestlé’s purpose of unlocking the power of food to enhance quality for everyone, today and for generations to come. Nestlé offers a wide portfolio of products and services for people and their pets throughout their lives. Its more than 2,000 brands range from global icons like Nescafé or Nespresso to local favourites like Ricoffy. Company performance is driven by its Nutrition, Health, and Wellness strategy. Nestlé is based in the Swiss town of Vevey where it was founded more than 150 years ago.
 

By Anne-Marie De Beer, Nutrition, Health and Wellness Manager, Nestlé East, and Southern Africa

Children's bodies and minds benefit greatly from regular physical activity and movement, which ensures optimal growth and development during the different stages. Eating a healthy and nutritious diet not only improves immunity, growth, and development, it also ensures the proper development of the brain and improves a Childs activity levels and cognitive functions. Exercise and movement promote the development of both gross and fine motor skills in children. In addition, it also keeps their bones, muscles, and joints healthy, and may help reduce the risk of developing health conditions such as childhood obesity.  

The first step in establishing a healthy lifestyle is to lead by example and encourage physical activity as an important step towards healthy lifestyles. Here are 5 fun exercises and activities to promote movement and physical activity. These activities can be strung together for longer playtime and some healthy competition between the kids and caregivers:

Playing outside
Playing outside is simple but chasing each other around is one of the best exercises kids can do, perfect for kids with endless energy. Playing outside also has additional benefits as they can test their physical limits, express themselves and build their self-confidence whilst building strong bones and strengthening their muscles. 

Skipping
Skipping is a wonderful way to increase your heart rate and strengthen your whole body, it is also a fantastic way to boost your little one’s brainpower. 

Follow the leader
An old-time favourite that never gets old, let the kids take turns being the leader directing others to match their every move. Encourage them to get active by skipping, crawling, and using their imagination.

Dance party
Turn up the radio and get moving and grooving. For extra fun, use some fun lighting, like lava lamps. Kids can compete for the best dance move or catch the one who doesn’t stop when the music stops. Kids can also enjoy musical chairs to get them to run around and dance all in one activity. 

Clean up race
What could be better than fun exercises for kids that benefit both their bodies and your house? Pick a room or assign the whole house and see which kid can clean up the most. The best part is that this can be a daily game to make sure the little ones clean up after themselves.

Now that you know that exercise doesn’t have to be boring. Start implementing these ideas into your child’s routine and emphasize the importance of being active. These activities will go a long way in laying the groundwork for a healthy, happy life. And when it’s all said and done, take time out to enjoy a glass of Milo to hydrate and reward your kids for their hard work.

Ends. 

For more information visit www.nestle-esar.com/n4hk 

Contact:

Nestlé East and Southern African Region (ESAR)
Rosalie Ambrose 
Tel: 079 526 8518
Email: Rosalie.ambrose@za.nestle.com

Issued by Weber Shandwick on behalf of Nestlé East and Southern Africa Region
Name Tankiso Motsoeneng
Tel: +27 61 374 7539
Email: tmotsoeneng@webershandwick.com 

About Nestlé 
Nestlé is the world’s largest food and beverage company. It is present in 187 countries around the world, and its 291,000 employees are committed to Nestlé’s purpose of unlocking the power of food to enhance quality for everyone, today and for generations to come. Nestlé offers a wide portfolio of products and services for people and their pets throughout their lives. Its more than 2,000 brands range from global icons like Nescafé or Nespresso to local favourites like Ricoffy. Company performance is driven by its Nutrition, Health, and Wellness strategy. Nestlé is based in the Swiss town of Vevey where it was founded more than 150 years ago.
 

Tips on how to add the goodness of fresh fruit and whole foods 

A healthy lunchbox with the right foods is crucial for children to have energy to play, concentrate and learn all day. From around the age of three, children start being vocal about their food preferences. Unfortunately, what they want to eat is not always nutritious, which makes a healthy lunchbox a challenge for many caregivers. But there are a few tips and tricks that can elevate your children’s lunchboxes and make a meaningful difference to their present and future health.

Always include a fruit and/ or vegetables in your child’s lunchbox

Most of the salt and sugar children eat comes from processed foods. Including more fresh fruits and vegetables is a great way to lower salt and sugar intake naturally. Fruits are naturally low in sodium and have plenty of fibre and vitamins for good health. It is recommended to add a real whole fruit – like an apple and banana instead of fruit bars as they may contain added sugars. Alternatively, you can add a handful of dried fruit such as raisins, apricots, and prunes. 

Before buying food for lunch boxes consider making your own special snacks.  
When buying food for lunchboxes, caregivers ought to become food label savvy. Always read the label on the packaging to see the amount of sodium and added sugar contained in the product. Try to swap products with high sodium or sugar for products with low sodium or sugar.  Snack foods like packets of crisps, sweet and savoury biscuits, sweet muffins and prepacked dips, cheese or processed meat and cracker packs can contribute to a lot of salt and or sugar. Swap these with low salt alternatives, such as savoury muffins, preferably homemade and even better have the kids help bake them. If you had meat the previous night consider keeping a bit aside for the lunchboxes the following day, instead of processed meats which can be high in salt.

Foods like cheese, wholewheat bread, vegetable sticks, fruit kebabs are all better options than the snacks kids buy at the local tuckshop.

Incorporating dairy products in the lunchbox is also important, but not always practical. Cheese is the easiest one to include the sandwiches or cubed for a quick finger snack. Yoghurt is a great source of calcium and use the plain variant and add your own fruits to it, that way you can also limit their sugar intake. Unflavoured milk is also a good choice, but make sure it is kept in a cool container to ensure it does not get sour during the day.  Instead of fresh milk consider a powdered milk like NESTLÉ NESPRAY, that can last a bit longer before going sour. In addition, plain milk provides calcium, which is an important nutrient for bones and teeth.
For dairy-free options, consult with a registered dietitian to guide you on possible alternatives

Add water to your child’s lunchbox
Sugar sweetened drinks, like soft drinks, iced tea, sports drinks, cordial, energy drinks and fruit drinks are attractive to children but can contain up to 16 teaspoons of sugar in one serve.
Fruit juice is made from fruit, the juicing process means that most of the fibre is lost.  It’s better to eat your fruit whole as it is more satisfying and contains more nutrients and fibre. If you choose to have fruit juice, have only a small serve, occasionally and consider diluting with ice or water. Try to avoid including juice poppers in the lunch box, save them for treats instead.
It is advised to serve your little ones with fresh water on a regular basis Water is very important to keep children well hydrated – make sure your child has a water bottle and that they consume regularly. 

For more information on tips visit www.n4hk-esar.com  

Ends.

Issued by Weber Shandwick on behalf of Nestlé East and Southern Africa Region
Contact: Tankiso Motsoeneng
Tel: +27 (0)61 374 7539
Email: tmotsoeneng@webershandwick.com

Media    Queries    Nestlé ESAR
Contact: Rosalie Ambrose Tel: 0795268518
Email: rosalie.ambrose@za.nestle.com

About Nestlé

Nestlé is the world’s largest food and beverage company. It is present in 187 countries around the world, and its 291,000 employees are committed to Nestlé’s purpose of unlocking the power of food to enhance quality for everyone, today and for generations to come. Nestlé offers a wide portfolio of products and services for people and their pets throughout their lives. Its more than 2,000 brands range from global icons like Nescafé or Nespresso to local favourites like Ricoffy*. Company performance is driven by its Nutrition, Health and Wellness strategy. Nestlé is based in the Swiss town of Vevey where it was founded more than 150 years ago.