Sports, mentorship, and healthy habits help teach children the importance of good nutrition

– Research indicates that adopting a healthy lifestyle early on significantly increases the likelihood of reading labels and making more informed choices when selecting products from store shelves, said prof. Krystyna Gutkowska, Director of the Institute of Nutrition Sciences at Warsaw University of Life Sciences.

The participants in the panel ‘Eat Smart, Live Actively, Invest in Your Future: Nutrition Education for Children’ explored the most effective strategies for promoting a healthy lifestyle among children. They highlighted the importance of a balanced diet, cooking skills, understanding nutritional properties of food, accurate food labelling, and enhancing consumer choices through nutrition education. Additionally, they emphasized the role of sports and sports education in fostering a healthy lifestyle.

Encouraging informed choices is essential

Seemingly trivial everyday activities can be crucial. – When shopping, we typically make decisions in just 2-3 seconds. Without learning to read product labels and implementing effective food labelling systems to support informed choices, consumers may not select the items needed for a well-balanced diet, said Blanka Mellova, NHW Manager at Nestlé Poland.

She highlighted that the company supports the healthy development of children and young people through several initiatives, including the Nestlé Baby&me programme and its partnership with the Polish Athletics Association on the ‘Athletics for Everyone’ programme.

– We begin with infant and young child nutrition, as early dietary programming profoundly influences a child’s development. The first thousand days are critical for shaping future behaviours, and we are dedicated to supporting this crucial period, said Mellova.

Grzegorz Łapanowski, chef and owner of Grupa Kulinarna Łapanowski, stressed that the strategy for teaching children about proper nutrition should be developed over decades, not just one or five years. He referenced the book ‘To Be Like Copenhagen’, which details the city's long-term efforts to encourage residents to switch to bicycles. Thanks to this extended program, approximately half of the city’s inhabitants now ride bicycles daily.

Łapanowski, who has been a chef on the programme ‘Dzień dobry TVN’ for years, emphasized the importance of the practical dimension of nutrition education. While children in tests may demonstrate an understanding of healthy eating principles – such as eating fruits and vegetables and avoiding sugar – this knowledge often does not translate into their daily habits. He believes that practical dietary knowledge is crucial, as it helps children learn how to balance their daily intake of food, including vegetables, fruits, cereals, and fats.

This approach enables the selection of simple meals, including convenient ready-made options available in shops. The variety is impressive, ranging from kefir and salads to sweet drinks and chips, noted Grzegorz Łapanowski.

He added that cooking skills are also crucial. – Cultural shifts since the Second World War have led to a reduction in time spent cooking, which in turn has diminished our cooking skills, said Łapanowski.

One million children on the programme

Sport can play a crucial role in children’s nutritional education by instilling healthy habits.

– The #TakeUpAthletics study reveals that children involved in the ‘Athletics for Everyone’ programme are slimmer than their peers who do not participate. This programme has reached one million kids over the past decade, said Małgorzata Hołub-Kowalik, Olympic champion and representative of the Polish Athletics Association (PZLA). She emphasized the value of sport for children, noting that systematic involvement – whether in training or healthy nutrition – often leads to lasting benefits.

The reach of these activities is enhanced by the free classes organised in both large and small cities across Poland. – The goal of the PZLA is to encourage young people to engage in athletics regularly. This includes children of all ages, whether they are naturally slim or those who can benefit from converting excess fat into muscle mass, said Małgorzata Hołub-Kowalik.

From the beginning, it was crucial for the programme to collaborate with the Polish Athletics Association and its nutrition partner, Nestlé. Additionally, the programme aimed to investigate the impact of these joint efforts through scientific projects conducted in partnership with the Institute of Human Nutrition Sciences at Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW) and the University of Physical Education in Warsaw (AWF).

– We have been involved in the Athletics for Everyone programme from the very start. This involvement allows us to significantly impact the attitudes of both children and parents, particularly through the coaches, who serve as natural mentors for the kids, said Mellova. The scale of the programme is impressive, with approximately 800 coaches instructing children of all ages, while also receiving training in proper nutrition themselves.

Without canteens, it becomes more challenging

The panellists also highlighted the importance of nutrition in schools. They emphasized that while parents cannot solely depend on institutions for nutrition education and that exposure to fruits and vegetables at home is crucial, effective management of school nutrition and the accountability of decision-makers are equally vital. In particular, having canteens in schools is essential.

Grzegorz Łapanowski raised an important question: Who is responsible for nutrition education? If a child is offered a variety of sugary drinks at the school shop, meat is served five times a week in the canteen, and vegetables are presented so unappetizingly that no one wants to eat them, we clearly have a problem, he remarked.

Catering costs can be a challenge, but creative solutions do exist, often unconventional ones. – The core issue is economics – the numbers must add up, noted the experienced chef. – However, cities worldwide are experimenting with central kitchens that prepare food and distribute it to schools, offering a promising model to address these financial constraints.

Prof. Krystyna Gutkowska shared insights from her visit to a school canteen, where the cooks managed to prepare two-course lunches using ingredients that cost only PLN 7.

– The staff in school canteens can work wonders, the expert explained. While catering services tend to be more expensive for parents, canteens consistently deliver better results. In the end, children receive properly balanced meals at school.

Parental involvement is essential in children’s education, particularly through shared meals at home, cooking together, and encouraging children to take responsibility, such as choosing vegetables. However, the organization of school nutrition falls outside the parents’ control.

– It ss up to the school director and parents’ council to decide whether they prioritize the contents of vending machines – whether they offer healthy options or merely products that are profitable for the vendors, said prof. Gutkowska. She also noted that her institute has published a book of simple recipes designed to promote healthy eating habits among families.

PARTNER: NESTLÉ POLSKA