Children’s Healthy Pester Power

By Dietitian, Juliette Kellow BSc RD

Parents never thought they would see it, but it seems children have stopped pestering them for sweets and chocolate – and instead are asking for fruit!

According to a new survey carried out for Sainsbury’s Active Kids, seven out of 10 children have asked their parents to buy healthier food and more than half have asked for fruit instead of junk food.

The survey, which included 1,000 children and 1,370 parents, also found that 45 percent of kids have asked parents to prepare more fresh meals from scratch, half have asked if they can cook for themselves and half have petitioned the family to ‘do something outdoors’.

Children also seem keen to join a club or team or take up a new sport or hobby to boost their activity levels.

Dr Pat Spungin an expert in parenting and the brains behind website www.raisingkids.co.uk says, “This study has uncovered a new type of ‘pester power’, which I believe could have positive consequences on the health of the next generation, It’s great that kids are picking up on campaigns run in schools and on television and are nudging their parents towards a healthier lifestyle. Parents have been getting the healthy eating message from many sources over the last few years, but it is heartening to know that children have also been listening and have taken the message on board.”

WLR says:

This is great news. The fact that today’s children seem to be interested in eating a healthier diet means the future generation could be one of the healthiest for a while.

It’s crucial to get children enjoying a healthy diet and active lifestyle from as young an age as possible. The earlier healthy habits are introduced, the more likely children will be to stick with them, as they get older.