Nippers Nutrition was a study of the nutritional

Nippers' Nutrition was a study of the nutritional content of meals provided to children at 10 day care nurseries and a project to change the food offered to their charges in East Sussex.

The nurseries that took part covered a mixture of geographical and socioeconomic backgrounds, with some providing their own meals and some buying-in their meals from other suppliers.

Current Situation • 1. 5 million registered childcare places in the UK • The child care providers influence • 1 in 4 will start school overweight or obese

What is healthy eating for the under 5 s? • What we found v the other reports • Specific nutritional requirements • The Eatwell Plate? • Parents creating social exclusion • Application

Multi-agency working: The way forward

Children 1 st Nursery (Grantham) Full Day Care Menu Analysis for 1 week (as recipe states)

Pilgrim Hospital Nursery (Boston) Full Day Care Menu Analysis for 1 week (as recipe states)

Puddleduck’s Nursery (Spalding) Full Day Care Menu Analysis for 1 week (as recipe states)

Puddleduck’s Nursery (Spalding) Full Day Care Menu Analysis for 1 week (with sampling weights)

Achieving a balanced diet for children aged 1 -5 years • Variation • Fruit and Vegetables-offer variety and small ‘tastes’ • Minimal amounts of salt: 1 -3 years 2 g /4 -6 years 3 g maximum per day • Adequate amount of fat • Adequate amount of fibre – not too much • Not too much sugar • Protein • Starchy carbohydrates • Minerals – Iron, Zinc, Calcium • Vitamins A, D, C • Keep well hydrated • Consider Allergies • Adult health messages are not the same for this age group

Practical Steps to take • • • Don’t add salt to food Make dishes from scratch using fresh ingredients where possible Avoid/ limit foods that are high in salt Check food labels Don’t offer food as a reward Adopt a positive approach to healthy eating Don’t force children to eat Don’t deny them food- they are growing! Encourage them to try foods more than once Serve food little and often More information can be found at: • • • Soil Association – Better Nursery Food campaign www. soilassociation. org Caroline Walker Trust www. cwt. org. uk Food Standards Agency www. eatwell. gov. uk

Where do we go from here? • Guidance for all Nursery settings • Parental information booklet • Conference