Parents often overwhelmed

Pay attention to children’s nutrition during the vacations

Summer is here and with it the school vacations. However, feeding children during this time is a challenge for many parents. Here are some tips on how mothers and fathers can ensure a healthy lifestyle for their offspring during the school holidays. 

While during the rest of the year, both nutrition and exercise are usually covered by school and after-school care, mothers and fathers now have to ensure that their children eat healthily and stay active. Here are some expert tips: "The vacations offer an opportunity to teach children important nutritional knowledge and skills by planning meals together with them, shopping, cooking and encouraging them to try new things," explains Dr. Marlies Gruber, Managing Director of "forum. ernährung heute (f.eh)".

Cooking and eating meals together as a family are becoming increasingly less important. Nutrition experts are therefore calling for these to be promoted again as important cultural techniques. "Passing on knowledge about food and learning different ways to prepare it helps to empower children to make better nutritional decisions," says Marlies Gruber.

Working parents are often faced with the difficulty of combining work and childcare in the summer. Good meal planning at the weekend can help. This way, children learn important skills and can sometimes prepare small meals themselves.

Increased fluid intake, especially on hot days
"It is also helpful to offer children drinks regularly or to encourage them to take drinking breaks. They often don't think about it during play and sport or ignore the feeling of thirst. However, an adequate fluid intake is essential, as the body only signals thirst when it is already dehydrated," Dr. Gruber points out. Dizziness, tiredness, headaches and even circulatory collapse as well as heart and kidney dysfunction can be the consequences.

Children should drink at least one liter of water or unsweetened drinks, and up to two liters in hot weather or during intense physical activity. Different flavors - for example with lemon/orange slices, mint, basil or berries - can help to increase the flow of drink.

Encourage more exercise through play 
It is also important to ensure that children are sufficiently physically active. This means romping around, playing and moving for at least one hour a day to promote stamina. Muscle-strengthening activities three days a week are also ideal. There are plenty of opportunities for exercise: cycling, skateboarding, trampolining, swimming, running, football, handball, volleyball or fistball, inline skating, (table) tennis, badminton, climbing, gymnastics, karate or dancing.