Make healthy food fun

According to Discovery Vitality’s Healthy Active Kids South Africa (HAKSA) report, South Africa's children are not eating as healthily as they should be. The South African dietary recommendations, drawn up by various experts in the field of nutrition and health, suggest various baselines which each person should meet to be healthy. Many South African children do not meet these recommendations. They include:

• Eating around five portions of fruit and vegetables daily.
• Eating around two portions of lean protein daily.
• Eating three portions of whole grain carbohydrates daily.
• Eating two portions of healthy fats daily.

The recommendations also suggest taking part in regular physical activity and avoiding overeating. They also suggest limiting foods that are high in sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats.

Although these recommendations seem simple enough, it can be tough to make healthy choices when faced with all the possible unhealthy choices at the store, in restaurants, or even in your kitchen. Healthy food doesn't have to be boring or tasteless. One of the best ways to make sure you always choose the healthiest options is to make healthy food fun.

Here are some ways to enjoy eating well without sacrificing the fun of food for you and your kids:

• Make dinner together. One way to have more fun in the kitchen while teaching your kids about healthy food is to cook together. Younger kids can wash vegetables and choose herbs and spices. Older kids can chop vegetables, boil pasta, or put food in the oven.
• Experiment with new foods. Try not to buy the same groceries every week. Check your Pick n Pay or Woolworths HealthyFood catalogues for some guidance on what new, interesting foods are healthy. Take your kids as well – but give them a snack first to avoid them begging for sweets – and let them show you new foods they want to try. Try quinoa, bulgar wheat, papaya, pomegranates, or persimmons and search the net for fun ways to prepare them.
• Choose fresh over preserved. Fresh foods fill your plate with colour. Pick out interesting and delicious fruit for your own and your kids’ lunch boxes. Spooning some granadilla seeds over plain, fat free yoghurt can make it a delicious snack. Mangoes, papaya, strawberries, gooseberries, and grapes can add some fruity fun to any snack or meal.
• Look for interesting new recipes. The net is a great resource for finding new ways to prepare delicious, healthy foods. Applications for your phone or tablet can also give you some tasty recipe options. Find recipes for how to prepare your favourite foods more healthily: burgers, pizza, pasta, and even bread can be made with healthy fats, less salt, and less sugar at home. Make cooking at home a taste adventure!

Show the family that fresh, wholesome fruit and vegetables and other healthy food choices really are fun in addition to being good for you! Activate your Vitality HealthyFood benefit and buy your HealthyFoods at Pick n Pay or Woolworths to earn up to 25% cash back and 1 000 Vitality points a month on over thousands of items. By choosing foods from the Pick n Pay or Woolworths HealthyFood catalogues, you’ll not only get rewarded, but your healthy choices will also be much easier.

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