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Fit and clever through activity and healthy eating

In order to develop a positive personality, our children need to be active and eat healthily. Nutrition will have a positive or negative influence on the growth, well-being and achievement potential of all children and teenagers. It is therefore more important than ever to educate children and to teach them about a healthy life style. The reasons are:

• Lack of activity and bad nutrition are on the increase
• The motor activity of children and teenagers is deteriorating
• The number of obese children and teenagers with major health problems is going up
• Other eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia are also becoming more common
  

Wrong nutrition and lack of activity also have a direct impact on children's learning abilities at school - they can lead to problems with attention and concentration, restlessness, weakness of memory, tiredness and lack of motivation. This is why health, activity and nutrition need to be promoted as part of the school curriculum and as part of school life in general. The long-term goal should be to include these elements into the day-to-day life of every child and teenager.

Fact is that children and teenagers feel quite healthy eating chips, pizza, hamburgers, coke, crisps and sugery foods in front of the television or the computer. Children as well as teenagers normally know what type of food is good for them and what type of food will make them put on weight. They also know that physical activity is healthy. What they are hardly ever aware of, however, is the connection between eating, drinking, activity and health. Pupils will understand and remember if you talk to them about their health, but they hardly ever change their behaviour in the long-term. After all, you don't notice straight away that chocolate and an afternoon on the sofa can be fattening. The real meaning of health cannot be felt directly. Children and teenagers - like most adults - don't think about their health when they think about food, drinks and activities. They do not usually chose their food, their activities and sports for health reasons. They simply want to enjoy themselves, have fun and feel good. The word "health" has rather negative connotations with most children and teenagers. They associate it with disease rather than with a feeling of well-being.

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