Good nutrition is key to unlocking
the bodies potential
Good nutrition as a child can
directly contribute to performance in the board room or on the sports field as
an adult
South African corporates and
government have been made aware of the alarming statistics that emerged in the
recent HAKSA report (compiled by a number of South African universities) which
identified that; one in five South African children skip breakfast, less than
half consume the recommended intake of vegetables and fruit and their intake of
key vitamins and minerals is less than 67% of what is recommended. This has a
devastating effect on the growth (physical and mental) of our children and
Danone launched their 2020 Day One campaign to coincide with the start of the
2020 school year. This is now going national in a drive to improve the
status quo by educating parents and caregivers on the benefits of good
nutrition and how it impacts on the development of children, whether in the
classroom or on the sportsfield.
Education is a global equaliser and
everyone in a child’s life, be it an educator, parent or caregiver, plays a
part in ensuring that South Africans can compete anywhere in the world, and
this all starts from birth. There is a window of opportunity (the first
1000 days) to ensure that children receive adequate nutrition to ensure that
areas of growth and maturity are met at the right time to meet important
milestones.
“Our Day One with Danone campaign is
educational and empowers parents and children to make correct food choices to
improve nutrition and wellbeing,” said Leanne Keizer, Scientific and Regulatory
Affairs Manager, Danone Southern Africa. “A healthy eating plan, which means
consuming the correct amounts of vitamins and minerals, is of paramount
importance in every aspect of a child’s life including building strength,
promoting physical fitness, giving energy for optimal concentration and brain
development. To compete globally, whether in the boardroom or on the
sports field, South Africans must match their international counterparts
thereby creating equal opportunities and, what many parents are not aware, this
all starts with good nutrition in our first years.
Day One by Danone also demonstrates
that healthy eating is affordable. “There are five simple steps to
healthy eating that we are promoting through our campaign,” said Keizer.
“Eat breakfast every day; eat more fruit and vegetables; have milk, maas or
yoghurt every day; drink more water; and exercise. We teach kids these five
steps through play so they will retain the information and it creates
longevity. 2020 is of particular importance as it fits into our global One
Planet One Health vision, which reflects our belief that the health of people
and that of the planet are interlinked and both need to be protected and
nurtured.”
“It’s an unfortunate fact that we
only recognise the symptoms of bad eating when it is too late,” said Keizer.
“Snacks form an important element of healthy eating and we encourage children
to select a fruit instead of a sweet or packet of crisps. Our NutriDay
yoghurts, which are high in protein, have been made with carefully
selected added nutrients known to be lacking in the diets of South African
children (Vitamins A, B, D, E) and are the only yoghurts in South Africa that
are a source of Zinc, essential in building a healthy immune system, growth and
cognitive development. These additions fuel a child’s potential to
thrive. We cannot stress enough the importance of drinking water, eating
vegetables and fruit and including milk, yoghurt or maas in a child’s diet.”
Exercise is key to good health.
“Our Danone Nations Cup, the biggest soccer tournament in the world for
children between the ages of 10 and 12 years old, has enabled us to talk to over
40 million kids around the world since its inception in 2000. We use the
biggest sport in the world to promote the importance of exercise and encourage
young athletes to ‘Play Football, Change the Game’, which is a rallying
message to unite children, irrespective of their backgrounds and cultures, and
to encourage them to become catalysts for positive change,” concluded Keizer.
To ensure continuity, Danone is
constantly loading nutritional tips, advice and recipes onto the Danone
website: www.danone.co.za to assist parents and caregivers.
