What does healthy eating mean for my kids?

Getting children to eat the food we want them to can be a struggle. But it is important children get the energy and the nutrients they need so that they can grow up healthy.

Variety and balance is key – we need lots of different nutrients and we can’t get them from eating just one food.

Fruit and vegetables provide important vitamins and minerals, as well as fibre. Try and include variety to snacks and meals, and be creative. For example add sliced banana to cereal, cut up different fruits and have them with yoghurt for dessert. Or why not try adding vegetables to soups or having cherry tomatoes as a snack?

Dairy products provide much needed calcium to help build strong bones. Yoghurts make a great snack, or dessert. Think of things to add milk to e.g. having it in a strawberry milkshake for a treat, or with cereal, or to make custard

Carbohydrate foods such as pasta, rice and bread should form the base of every meal. Choose high fibre wholegrain foods (look at the label and to check they have more than 6g of fibre per 100g). Fibre helps to keep you fuller for longer and also helps to keep your digestive system in good working order.

Don’t skip breakfast! It’s important to kick start the day after a long period without food, and get ready to face the day. A good breakfast can provide important nutrients that we need to stay fit and healthy. Why not try a bowl of cereal and milk or wholegrain toast with a little spread and topping. Fruit and yoghurt also makes a tasty combination. Or why not add some variety on the weekends when you have more time by trying scrambled eggs or some peanut butter on a bagel.

Remember to think about water. Children are often active, and can dehydrate faster than adults, so make sure they are having fluid often.

For more healthy eating information, please log on to:
http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/agesandstages/children/yrchild/

Are Coco Pops really made with chocolate?

Yes, chocolate is one of the ingredients used in the coating of Coco Pops. It is also used in Coco Pops Rocks, and Moons & Stars, whereas Choc ‘N’ Roll uses Cocoa powder to give the chocolatey taste.

Why are Coco Pops a good after-school choice?

We know from research we conducted with parents, that most children have a snack after school. A bowl of Coco Pops and milk is a convenient tasty option, and also provides important nutrients. Not only is it low in fat and low in saturated fat, a bowl of Coco Pops also provides six B vitamins and iron. Of course it’s also an easy way to get milk consumed by children. And if you were to choose Choc ‘N’ Roll, or Moons & Stars, then you’re also including fibre and wholegrain into their after school snack.

Does wholegrain and fibre mean the same thing?

Wholegrain means literally what it sounds like – the whole of the grain – whereas fibre is the outer layer, which can also be added into products as an ingredient. Fibre is important for a number of reasons, and not all wholegrains are necessarily high in fibre. So it is good to check the label and make sure there is more than 6g of fibre per 100g (high fibre) when choosing wholegrain products.

Why don’t you have kids’ GDAs on pack?

There are a number of reasons why. The objective of the GDAs on the front of the pack is to educate consumers about the food they are eating, and to help them make informed choices. Part of making an informed choice is being able to compare products when you are purchasing them. We need to ensure that people are comparing like with like – therefore we choose to use the GDAs that are suitable for the ‘general population’. And despite some products being loved by children – they are not eaten only by children.

Children do have different needs to adults, so they have different GDAs too. But not as different as you might think. Because they are active, and also growing, they are not vastly different to the 'average person' used on the front of the pack. This table below shows the GDAs for a child as well as for an average person, as used on the front of the pack (remember, these are a guideline, not a target):

Why don’t you take more sugar out?

The Coco Pops recipe has been around for over 50 years. Over this time many generations have enjoyed and loved this popular breakfast cereal. So when parents told us that they would like less sugar, we have looked to see what we can do. Sugar has an important role in the food, not only for taste, but for look and texture. So we have been working really hard to ensure that we make the food stay as tasty as the one that you and your children know and love.

We therefore have to do this by small steps, rather than drastic reductions or all at once. And we aren’t just looking at Coco Pops Original, but other Coco products too – Moons & Stars and Rocks. And once we have done this, if parents tell us they want more changes, then we will look at making them. To find out more facts about sugar, including how much is actually is in a bowl of Coco Pops click here

How much salt is in Coco Pops?

Breakfast cereal as a whole contributes just 2.7% of the salt that goes into the nations’ shopping basket1. Therefore, not much of the salt in the diet in the UK comes from breakfast cereal. And you can use the GDAs on the front of the pack to see just how much salt a 30g bowl of Coco Pops Original contains i.e. 4% GDA. The other variants contain:
Moons & Stars: 2% GDA
Choc ‘N’ Roll: 2% GDA
Coco Rocks: 4% GDA

1. Kantar World Panel Nutrition Service2010

What about the fat?

Coco Pops are considered a low fat food, because the fat content is less than 3% (in fact it is just 2.5%) and also low in saturated fat because this is below 1.5% (in fact just 1%). Both Choc ‘N’ Roll and Moons & Stars are also low in fat and low in saturated fat.

Do Coco Pops start out as Rice Krispies?

They certainly do. To find out how click here