7 Dec 2012

Fruit Isn't the Quick Fix!


Hi folks,

I recently took part in a 2-day school's event to raise awareness of what a healthy lifestyle consists of. All the participants where very keen & enthusiastic but it seemed that their understanding of a healthy diet was just fruit, fruit & more fruit! Lean forms of protein, vegetables, wholegrains & good fats where berely mentioned by any of the groups which I found quite worrying.

As we know fruit is an important part of a balanced diet & a great snack of which we should aim for about 4-5 portions per day. It contains fibre & lots of antioxidants but too much and the sugar that it also contains may contribute to tooth decay & higher blood sugar levels.

So where did all of these participants get this perception from? Hopefully their teachers taught them about the importance of a varied diet, so maybe it's down to the parents. With everyone's busy lifestyles these days does a 'healthy' meal / packed lunch box just involve a token piece of fruit being tossed in because its quick & convenient? - I can imagine in many cases yes!

This view that fruit = a healthy diet is also prominent among adults. It is the first list of foods we give when asked to describe one. We don't want to stop people eating fruit, but to get everyone eating more of the other healthy food groups too. Realistcally most people won't be pro-active on this at home so one of the best ways to do this is to engage them whilst in the workplace. This will benefit their workplace health & performance, sense of investment from their employer & the health perceptions of their families.

i.e. The corporate world has the potential power (& self interest) to change the health of society through workplace education. 


James

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