Obese pre-schoolers?

Obesity rates are reaching 9.5% in reception classes, according to a report from the Health and Social Care Information Centre. 

As the owner of a day nursery where we prepare and serve wholesome meals for our children, in 15 years we have never had a single obese child.

Out of the hundreds of children from every social strata and economic group, obesity has not featured in the diverse problems and health issues we have helped parents with.

My concern now is what happens to these children in later years. I recently had an experience of this when I went to my eight-year-old granddaughter’s school to watch a play.  Apart from feeling very proud, I was pleased to recognise quite a number of pupils performing with her who had attended my nursery. The shock came to see the number who were, to pull no punches, obese! 

Somehow in the three- to four-year period they had been at school they had expanded into children, who unless there were radical changes in either their diet or lifestyle or both, were going to become the next generation of obese adults and parents.

The question is, why have these children turned from healthy-sized pre-schoolers to overweight juniors?

I do not set myself up to know the answers to this question, but based on my knowledge and experience I would like to put forward a number of possible reasons.

While we've never had a child at our nursery who was obese, over the years there have been a small number who have been slightly overweight. After talking to the parents of these children I think the main problem is that they weren't sure what a ‘normal’ portion size was for their child. 

This problem of portion size for children is, I believe, one of the contributory factors in a large number of the obese families in the country, but where are the guidelines?  There are some but they are not readily available, particularly for busy parents or parents who struggle to access information. 

Are there practical courses that parents can go on? I know there are courses to help parents with their child’s maths and English but are there courses on portion sizes and healthy eating?

It is widely accepted that education is the only real and effective way of combat the rise in morbid obesity. But that education needs to start in schools and pre-schools.

In our nursery, as well as offering healthy, homemade food, we continuously promote fresh foods. We have our own kitchen garden where children are encouraged to plant and grow their own vegetables. Once they are ready, they are harvested by the children, washed and prepared, ready for our cook. 

We also hold events for parents where we prepare some of the dishes we serve the children. This way they can see what goes into our meals, how they are cooked and, importantly, the three different sizes of portions we give as standard.

These events prove very popular with parents and increase their awareness of portion size and the right types of food for their young child.

Based on positive feedback we’ve had from such events, I would encourage the government to invest in all schools, including pre-schools and primary schools, to have regular events for parents on healthy foods and portion sizes.  This should be coupled with the teaching of basic cooking skills and lessons on healthy eating as part of secondary school education. 

Today there is too much emphasis on ‘academic’ skills, which has led to a lack of life skills.  I would ensure that before every schoolchild leaves formal education they are able to take half a dozen or so raw food items and turn them into a healthy family meal.  And to do that we will have to get rid of the current system where, at best, many schoolchildren only ever get to bake a cupcake.

One final plea is the quality of meals provided by maintained schools. 

At our nursery many parents have told me that our philosophy on food and the quality of the meals we provide is a major factor in them choosing us. 

On starting primary school, my own grandchildren found the meals of such poor quality and so expensive, they now only have school meals once a week the rest of the time they are, like the majority of other children, taking a “pack-up”.

My grandchildren’s primary school like so many today relies on a remote central kitchen for their catering service. I find it difficult to describe the process that the food has to go through before it ends up on a child’s plate, all I can say is it does not bare thinking about. 

School meals, as Jamie Oliver discovered, are costed on decimal points of a penny. I don’t blame the cooks who have to prepare this – as the saying goes, “you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear”. 

Whether prepared at home or provided by the school, all children should to be given the nutritious food they need to grow and learn. Let’s hope the government starts to do more to make sure this happens.

Ken McArthur is owner of Polly Anna's Nursery in York