One in every three teenage girls in Soweto is either overweight or obese, while another study found that one in every five rural teenage girls is overweight, according to a study conducted by the Medical Research Council and Wits Development Pathways for Health Research Unit.
Less than 20 percent of 13-year-old teenagers took a packed lunch to school, while about 85 percent of participants bought food from their school tuck-shop.
Scientific researcher and first author of the study Alison Feeley says teens who bring a packed lunch to school generally eat healthier items, including cheese, brown or wholewheat bread, fruit juice and fruit.
A stark contrast to the sweets, crisps, cold drink, fried chips and white bread which accounted for 62 percent of tuckshop purchases.
The study followed 1 450 adolescents between the ages of 13 and 17 and found that children ate more snack items as they grew older and fewer teens ate breakfast.
A separate cross-sectional study found that 17-year-olds ate fast food items at least seven times a week, with the “kota” proving the most popular item.
At just R9, the kota – a quarter loaf of white bread with “slap” chips, cheese, processed meats and sauces – is affordable for teenagers on a tight budget, but a composition analysis showed that an average kota contains around 5 369kJ, and52g of fat, of which 13g is saturated fatty acids.
This is more than 50 percent of the recommended daily intake of 10 000kJ. The kota contained 2 280mg of salt, a quarter of the 6g maximum salt intake requirement.
Research conducted locally and abroad shows that children have already established good or bad eating habits before they even start primary school.
“Adolescents do not change their eating habits as they grow up. If they started off with bad eating habits, that sets the scene for later on in life” Feeley says.
Obese people are at an increased risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease and developing type 2 diabetes at an accelerated pace.
Paediatric dietitian Deborah Jacobson says South Africans have adopted a “very American way of being”, including an increase in restaurant portion sizes.
Gabi Steenkamp, a registered dietitian, says that getting your children to eat fruit and vegetables daily had to be established from when a baby is first introduced to solid foods – and getting them to eat these should not be a negotiation.
What parents say:
l Lesego Modibedi packs her son Letlhogonolo, six, a sandwich made with brown bread, with either cheese, eggs or peanut butter, with a fruit and a yoghurt or Yogi Sip. Her father has type 2 diabetes and her mother suffers from high blood pressure, so Modibedi is cautious about living a healthy lifestyle.
She occasionally gives her son R2 to spend at the tuckshop.
l No matter what fruit Michelle* packs for John*, 9, it comes back uneaten, and her 16-year-old son refuses to take a lunchbox to school.
“For the little one I pack a wholewheat sandwich with peanut butter and jam or cheese or chicken mayo. I pack a fruit, but he never eats it. My older son refuses to take lunch to school because it’s uncool,” she says.
l At just 13, Precious* is 1.5m and already weighs 60kg. Her mom Kgomotso* used to pack her lunch, but she now refuses to take a lunchbox. Once an active gymnast at school, she has stopped being active and eats more. “She eats cereal in the morning, but then just takes water and fruit to school. But when she comes home she makes herself food and then eats supper.”
Some healthy lunchbox ideas
Registered dietitian Brigitte Oswell says children need to eat smaller meals more often. A basic, healthy lunchbox should include starches, protein, fruit, vegetables, dairy products and fluid.
l Starches: wholewheat bread or rolls, pita bread, wraps or pasta
l Protein: skinless chicken, thinly shaved cold meats, tuna, cheese, peanut butter, egg or meatballs
l Dairy: yoghurt, cheese or cottage cheese
l Fluids: water, homemade ice tea or fruit juice
An example of a healthy lunchbox, Oswell says, is a wholewheat sandwich with chicken and light mayonnaise, sliced cucumbers and baby tomatoes, a smoothie made with fresh banana and milk or water, and a bottle of water.
l For healthy lunchbox recipes see Angela Day’s suggestions on: www.iol.co.za/the-star/angela-day-healthy-lunchbox-recipes-1.1215641 - The Star