The foods that children eat and the habits they develop around food during the early years, sets the pattern for the rest of their lives and it is worrying to see that in children aged four to five, that 13% of boys and 13% of girls are overweight and 10% of boys and 9% of girls are obese.
Unfortunately, poor eating habits also negatively impact dental health. Did you know that Yorkshire and The Humber are amongst the worst four areas for oral health for three year old children and that Wakefield and Leeds have significantly higher levels of tooth decay than the rest of England?
Due to these worrying trends, there are increasing calls for change in food provision in early years settings (lets face it, the amount of time children spend in childcare has increased due to modern life pressures), who play a really important role in providing the right nutrition and laying foundations for healthy eating habits.
I recently won a bid to become an Early Years Nutrition Partnership registered nutrition professional and I am super excited about it! The EYN Partnership is an independent social enterprise, providing bespoke and tailored support for early years settings delivered by registered nutrition professional like me. The nutritional standards resources have been developed by the British Nutrition Foundation and the Pre-School Learning Alliance, fully supporting the nutritional requirements of Ofsted.
This is my chance to have a positive impact in children’s health, which is so fulfilling! Anyone who knows me as a mother of two, knows how passionate I am about giving my kids great food and I am also happy to say that there isn’t one filling between them.
I am ready to share the knowledge, so if you know any early years care settings that you feel could do with a bit of help in a non-judgmental, friendly and supportive way, get in touch.