Our children deserve the best possible start, and making mindful food choices today paves the way for a vibrant, energetic, and fulfilling future. Healthy food choices empower our kids to thrive physiologically, intellectually and emotionally.

However, today’s kids are becoming more ultra processed and less ultra nourished. Ultra Processed Foods (UPFs) are everywhere in our modern diet, cleverly disguised as convenient snacks and meals that initially seem fine.

Think about those brightly coloured cereal boxes that promise essential vitamins and minerals, or the handy lunchbox treats that are "fortified" with calcium and fibre. These foods, designed to save us time and simplify our busy lives, often contain a cocktail of additives, preservatives, and artificial ingredients that are far from natural.

As a parent, I’ve always strived to provide nourishing meals for my children. I meticulously check labels, research the latest nutrition advice, and ensure that the lunchboxes I pack are balanced and nutritious. I remember the moment I discovered a startling reality: many of the foods that I (even as a qualified nutritionist) thought were healthy options are actually UPF’s.

So many everyday foods are ultra processed — many breakfast cereals, commercial breads, frozen pre-prepared foods, sauces, hot dogs, processed meats and beverages to name some; and we have a proliferation of these in the kosher market.

It may look like food and taste like food but to quote Dr Chris van Tulleken in his book Ultra processed people these are “food like substances” that can promote disease in our children.

And that’s the clincher.

Too much of what our children are eating contains more industrial ingredients than real ingredients. Additives called natural enhancers are neither natural nor enhancing. For the healthy development of young growing children this is worrying.

The science is clear. Children who consume too many UPFs have a significantly increased risk for developing Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and metabolic syndrome.

It gets worse. There is a direct correlation between UPF consumption and adverse health outcomes in children like the risk of developing other chronic diseases later in life, poor nutrient density and obesity.

Our challenge is not in assessing the level of risk but rather in mitigating it through making conscious behavioural changes.

Healthy summer fruit kebabs make fun treats Photo: Getty Images

If we think how much time, care and disposable income goes to feeding our children with their best interests at heart, it is incredulous that we wouldn’t try to optimise our children’s food choices.

So, I started at home, making small changes to my children’s diet. It took some adjustment but the benefits were undeniable. They were more energetic, their focus improved, and I felt better knowing I was giving them real food.

I tried to avoid the finger wagging, no ‘you can eat this, and you can’t eat that’, but am gradually lightening the UPF load in my home and increasing the availability of quick, easy, more wholesome food.

This journey as a parent and as a professional has been an eye-opener, and I’m committed to sharing what I’ve learned with other parents. It’s not about perfection but about making more informed choices. By understanding what UPFs are and recognising them in our children’s diets.

Wholefoods make better breakfasts than ultrprocessed cereals Photo: Victoria Prever

Here are some of the easy changes you can make to reduce UPF in your children’s diet:

Cereal killer:

Swap out sugary cereals for wholegrain options, most of the time. Wholegrain toast with toppings like eggs, smashed avocado or a tuna melt can provide kids with essential nutrients and sustained energy for a strong start to their day.

Drink smarter:
Fizzy drinks and store-bought fruit juices are high in sugar and often contain artificial sweeteners and flavours. Reduce them over time and replace with fruit-infused water which you can make by adding slices of fresh fruit like strawberries, orange and lemon or cucumbers with ice cubes. Or keep jugs of homemade herbal berry iced tea in the fridge.

Smooth operator:
Buy frozen berries, fruit and spinach to blend with water or plain yogurt which can be either served as smoothies or poured into ice pop moulds to freeze and make homemade, healthy, non UPF ice pops.

After school crunch time:

Chop apple, cucumber and cheese slices for them to munch on when they walk through the door. Or go back to basics and make popcorn from scratch.

Keep crisps simple Photo: Getty Images

Less is more:

Flavoured crisps can be filled with all sorts of nasties, but if your children love crisps you don’t need to ban them. Just pick ready-salted varieties and make sure they are restricted to three ingredients — potato, oil and salt.

Get label literate:

Look beyond the flashy packaging and dive into the ingredients list and nutrition facts. The key red flags to focus on are: (1) long ingredient lists with unpronounceable names, (2) hidden sugars disguised with fancy names (61 different names in fact) and (3) high levels of sodium or unhealthy fats. The fewer ingredients the better and if you can’t pronounce it, you probably don’t want to eat it.

Our children’s health is worth the effort. Let’s invest in their future by starting to choose real food over ultra-processed alternatives.

bhealthy.pn@gmail.com