By Sue-Ann Wayow
PARENTS and guardians are being advised to allow children to participate in activities in the kitchen so as to develop a good, healthy relationship with food.
Chief Nutritionist and head of the Nutrition and Metabolism Division at the Ministry of Health Michelle Ash said children from as young as two-years-old should be asked to assist in preparing meals and snacks.
She was speaking during the ministry’s virtual media conference on Monday.
She gave guidelines to assist in encouraging children to maintain healthy lifestyles, given the additional stress of on-line learning.
Ash said, “Ensure that you set regular mealtimes for our children. When you go to the grocery, try not to pick up so many pre-packaged snacks. Ensure that you involve your kids in the food preparation. Ensure that you set times for what is work specific and bedtimes. Ensure that those things are stuck to.”
She continued, “Children in the kitchen are very important because you will be imparting skills on them that they can use for the rest of their lives.”
Ash said both boys and girls should help in the kitchen in an effort to remove the mentality that only girls should learn to cook and some of the best cooks were male.
She also advises that meals be pre-prepped and pre-planned for at least a week.
This contributes to better budget planning as well.
“Freezing works wonders for big families as well,” the nutritionist added.
With reference to exercise, Ash said yard and clear spaces should be utilised often, with the re-opening up of certain places, children should be allowed to visit, and free-play should be encouraged.
Free play, she explained was play without a structure and she also asked that parents play with their children.
The nutritionist also reminded persons with chronic illnesses to maintain healthy lifestyles and become vaccinated to prevent possible adverse effects should the Covid-19 virus be contracted.
