Good Nutrition for good immunity - Dietitian Lila Bruk

 

Lila Bruk BSC in Molecular and Cell Biology (UCT) BSC Medical (Honours) in Nutrition and Dietetics (UCT) Masters in Nutritional Sciences (Stellenbosch) Manuka Translational Genomics EatFit FODMAP approved dietitian SAMLA Certificate in Foundations of Medico-Legal Practice National Nutrition and National Obesity Week 2020 - Speaker organized by DanUp with a focus on assisting coaches from all over the world with nutrition programs for their kids. "Good Nutrition for good immunity" She spoke about about nutrition and what children, coaches and parents can do to get a basic cost effective nutrition plan for kids. School sport around the world has changed overnight due to the coronavirus and has become more efficient and focused to allow all kids not matter their ability to express themselves the best that they can be on the sporting field. As a coach you need to stay ahead of the curve and keep yourself updated with all the new training tips and methodologies. We enable you to do this through our fortnightly webinars with a generic focus on sport.

www.lilabruk.co.za

join our webinars at www.intunecom.co.za

Good nutrition is key to unlocking the bodies potential and can have an impact on adult performance in the board room or on the sports field.

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.

Free State to host the Danone Nations Cup Provincial Finals

 

By the end of next weekend seven of the nine provincial champions in the under-12 Danone Nations Cup soccer tournament will have emerged, ahead of the national playoffs of the competition, to be held in Boksburg on June 25^th.

It’s the turn of Free State to stage its provincial playoffs on Saturday 4^th June at the Grey College Bloemfontein , with Gauteng and Limpopo hosting their finals in the 2 weeks following.

The eventual national winners will represent South Africa at the world finals of the competition in France later in the year.

Football development in the Free State is thriving with local PSL club, Free State stars, giving a helping hand and visiting the schools to look for players to boost their development programme and offering advice.

Two of the schools that will be competing in the Free State finals this weekend are part of that programme. 

Witsieshoek Primary School coach Victor Mokoena was part of the Free State Stars development programme back in 2005. He knows how important it is for young players to get the correct training at grass-roots level. He doesn’t have a coaching qualification but has played the game at a relatively high level, with Maholosiane FC and then Dikwena FC, both in the national first division.

The school has been playing in the competition since 2011 and made it through to the provincial finals in 2012.

Mokoena has been coaching the team since 2013, and is getting support from former Free State Stars, Moroka Swallows and Orlando Pirates player, Goodman Mazibuko who has held clinics at the school and often comes and checks up on how the team is progressing. 

Out of the 2012 Witsieshoek team, Bongani Khumalo, now in high school, has attended Free State Stars trials and Katlego Mofokeng is with the Supersport United Academy.

Free State Stars has been monitoring the players at Insoeng Primary School and three of the players from their 2015 team: Tumelo Louw, Kholisile Afrika and Thembile Dangube have been asked to attend trials at the club to join their development programme. The three are still at the school, but are too old to play in the Danone Nations Cup again this year.

The school is relatively new to the competition. They started playing in 2013, and made it to the provincial playoffs last year but lost in the semi-finals.

Coach, Mosepedi Ditaung, believes the biggest advantage this team has over last year’s is motivation. “Although there is always pressure, these players have a different attitude,” he said. “I tell them that everyone loses and it is how you rise above it that shows your strength.”

The participating schools are: 

TMD district: Witsieshoek Primary School

Xhariep district: Insoeng Primary School

Fezile Dabi district: Nelson Mandela Primary School

Motheo 1 district: Toka Primary School

Motheo 2 district: Moipone Primary School

Lejweleputswa (TBC)

DNC Partners:

 

 

Third time lucky for Northern Cape Danone Nations Cup Provincial Winner

 

Van Rensburg Primary of Britstown in the Northern Cape is the first school to book its place in the national finals of the under-12 Danone Nations Cup soccer tournament.

The team emerged victorious from the five regional champions that competed in the Northern Cape provincial finals tournament at the Paballelo Stadium in Upington last weekend.

They will be travelling to Reiger Park in Boksburg on June 25^th  to meet the other 8 provincial winners and play off for the national title and, with it, the opportunity to travel to France later in the year to compete in the Danone Nations Cup world finals.

It was a case of third time lucky for Van Rensburg, they were in the provincial finals in 2011 and again last year, but were knocked out both times. But, according to their coach, Jus Marolla, it was a case of “if at first you don’t succeed keep trying and just prepare better the next time.”

Marolla knows it won’t be easy at the next level, and that they are at a disadvantage because, coming from the Northern Cape they have limited competition at a higher level.

“We prepared well for the provincial finals and found our progress surprisingly easy,” said Marolla. “The boys were a bit nervous and I have seen them play better, but our strategy of all-out attack and total team defence worked well and my job now is to get their confidence up in preparation for the nationals.”

Marolla said the team is excited about travelling to Johannesburg. Most of them have never been there before so it’s going to be an adventure.

“They want to make friends and have fun while they are competing.  They know that it’s a competition, but they still want to have fun at the same time. Competing for a chance to travel to France is something that they will probably never get in their lifetime again.”

The nationals will be tough, the coach said, but the age limit is the same for everyone, and every team has a chance to win. “We just need to remain focused, and make sure that we cover our basics on the field,” he said.

Extra training sessions have been scheduled - and extra classes - because Marolla believes the players have to balance both their academics and their sport.

“I don’t want the players to concentrate too much on the tournament and lose focus in the classroom,” he said.

If he had to single out an individual player that has stood out for the team so far, Marolla would go for the captain, Nino Oliphant. “He is an all- rounder (he moved from goalkeeper to striker this year) and understands the game well. He gives the boys moral support when they are under pressure,” he said.

Limpopo will host the next provincial final at the Noorderland High School in Polokwane on April 16^th.

Results

Dr Isak van Niekerk Primary School 2 Beacon Primary School 3

Vlakfontein Primary School 0 Van Rensburg Primary 2

Leerkrans Intermediate School 1 Dr Isak van Niekerk Primary School 3

Beacon Primary School 4 Vlakfontein Primary School 3

Van Rensburg Primary School 2 Leerkrans Primary School 0

Dr Isak van Niekerk Primary School 2Vlakfontein Primary School 0

Beacon Primary School 2 Van Rensburg Primary School 3

Vlakfontein Primary School 1 Leerkrans Primary 0

Van Rensburg Primary School 0 Dr Isak van Niekerk Primary School 2

Leerkrans Primary School 0 Beacon Primary School 1

Beacon Primary School 2 Van Rensburg Primary School 3

About Danone

Danone Southern Africa is part of the Danone Group, one of the fastest-growing food companies in the world.  Danone is present in over 120 countries across all continents. With 160 plants and around 100,000 employees, the Danone Group is the number one worldwide for Fresh Dairy Products. Danone’s mission is to bring health through food to as many people as possible.

One of the core values of the Danone Nations Cup tournament is to encourage young people to believe in their dreams. Through this initiative Danone offers a sporting event that reaches out to and inspires millions of children all over the world

 

Fifteen years later and Danone Nations Cup player now coaching KZN team in the same tournament

 

Thamsanqa Zondi, manager and coach of the Piet Retief Primary School about to embark on their 2016 Danone Nations Cup campaign in the uMgungundlovu district, in KwaZulu-Natal, actually played in the under-12 soccer tournament in 2000, possibly the first graduate of the tournament to coach a participating team.

That was back when he was 11 years old and a pupil at Esgodini Primary School in Pietermaritzburg. He recalls that the team that year made it into the KwaZulu-Natal provincial finals, but were knocked out at that stage so he never got to the nationals and an opportunity to go to the world finals of the tournament in France. The world finals this year, involving the national champions of all the 32 entering nations will be in France again this year.

“Looking back, that experience was one the highlights of my life and it opened up many opportunities for me,” he said. “Through the Danone Nations Cup I was exposed to different schools with different skills, different approaches to the game and of course I made friends.”

As a result of playing in the competition, I went to high school with a more determined approach to soccer, which led to me being invited to join the Jomo Sono Academy in 2005."

Zondi was selected for the Jomo Cosmos first team in 2007 and from 2008 till 2011 he played for Umbelebele Jomo Cosmos in Swaziland. He returned to play for Jomo Cosmos in South Africa and later for Maritzburg United.

While at Cosmos he started studying and now has a Diploma in Sports Management from Rosebank College. He is currently completing a teaching degree at UNISA.

He started teaching at ML Sultan Secondary School last year, and was an external coach for Piet Retief, before joining the school as a sports coordinator this year.

“I think that having firsthand experience of this tournament has helped me to prepare the players for what is to come,” he said.

Piet Retief is 55 years old and traditionally they played just rugby and cricket but last year they introduced soccer. 

“We didn’t enter the tournament last year because the players were new to soccer and they needed to learn the basics,” Zondi said. “They are young and it’s important to teach them correctly before they pick up bad habits. So we focused on fundamentals such as passing the ball.

“We are ready for the Danone Nations Cup this year, however, since the school will be taking part for the first time I want the players to enjoy the experience and have fun.”

Zondi is hoping that they can go as far as possible without the boys feeling too pressurised. “The first thing that they need to learn is confidence because it can take them far and they need to understand that they won’t become superstars overnight. They need to work hard,” he said.

The Danone Nations Cup had a great impact in his life and he is hoping it will do the same for his players. “These days most kids don’t have much too look forward to and some think they have to join bad company in order for them to be liked or popular. Danone care about their communities, it’s a great opportunity for these boys.”

About Danone

Danone Southern Africa is part of the Danone Group, one of the fastest-growing food companies in the world.  Danone is present in over 120 countries across all continents. With 160 plants and around 100,000 employees, the Danone Group is the number one worldwide for Fresh Dairy Products. Danone’s mission is to bring health through food to as many people as possible.

One of the core values of the Danone Nations Cup tournament is to encourage young people to believe in their dreams. Through this initiative Danone offers a sporting event that reaches out to and inspires millions of children all over the world

 

Teachers gear up and improve their coaching knowledge as the 2016 Danone Nations Cup starts

Preparations are under way, throughout the country, for the opening rounds of the 2016 Danone Nations Cup tournament.

The under-12 soccer tournament is played, first, at local area level, with the successful schools progressing to regional playoffs and then provincial eliminators before the nine eventual provincial champions play in the national finals taking place in Gauteng in June.

For the national champions there is the prize of going to the world finals in France later this year.

Perhaps the greatest achievement of the Danone Nations Cup is that it brings organised soccer to the rural nooks and crannies where there is little by way of sport to occupy the youngsters.

The idea of progressing up the ranks in the competition gives the teams something to strive for and the ultimate prize of going overseas to play in the world tournament gives them something to dream about.

The coaches in those schools are invariably teachers who, while they may have played the game at some stage, have little by way of experience or qualifications.

Social media plays an important role here, with Facebook and the internet providing valuable insight into coaching and technical aspects of the game. The contact between schools that the Danone Nations Cup facilitates helps spread this learning around and the standard of soccer in these areas is uplifted.

A case in point is Khayalethu Primary School, of the Nkangala district in Mpumalanga, Coach Adam Mashiloame is the computer science teacher at the school, and he is new to the role of coaching.

He has been on the internet, though, and has come up with some ideas on individual skills and teamwork which he hopes to implement with the team.

“The players need to be able to, dribble a ball and communicate well with each other on the field. They need to understand that you can’t be selfish with the ball because it’s about team work,” he said. “They need to know that understanding the game will come with time and experience but it can also come from having an open mind and learning as much as you can every time you step on the soccer field.”

Khayalethu has been in the Danone Nations Cup before. In 2013 they came 2^nd in the regional finals; in 2014 they were knocked out at district level; and last year they came 3^rd in the regional finals.

It’s a record that Mashiloame hopes to improve on this year. They have 5 players back again this year, so there is some experience, especially in the form of Nhlanhla Sibanyoni, the captain. This is his third year in the tournament and his leadership will be important, Mashiloame believes.

“We have a mixture of new and old boys in the team so they need to have more practice sessions to get used to each other. It’s a first time experience for me too, but I am ready for the challenge of taking the players to the provincial finals.”

The school has challenges as far as facilities and equipment are concerned, but Mashiloame believes they can overcome them.

Nhlanhla Sibanyoni agrees “We are looking forward to the games starting. We are working hard and I think we are going to do well this year,” he said.