Expensive healthy diets and foods a worry for most families

For families on social welfare in Ireland, choosing a healthy diet of fruit, vegetables, meat and fish can swallow up most of their benefit payments, a major international conference on childhood obesity has heard.

A study carried out this year showed that the cost of healthy eating swallowed up to 58pc of a family's weekly social welfare benefits and for teenage boys in particular, the entire allowance could go on healthy foods.

Dr Mary Flynn from the Food Safety Authority of Ireland said the study had found that fruit, vegetables, meat and fish were the most expensive food items, while "highly-promoted healthy snack foods were several-fold more expensive than unhealthy fat, sugar and salt-containing snacks and confectionery".

In particular, they found that fresh produce and lean meat came in 2.5 times more expensive than snack foods such as biscuits and bars.

"Considering that the social welfare benefit must cover all other living expenses including rent and utilities, this study shows that healthy eating is less attainable for families with children -- particularly those with teenagers," she said.

The sharp recession raised questions about the cost and affordability of healthy eating and strategies were needed to address this issue when promoting it, Ms Flynn told the European Childhood Obesity Group Scientific Conference held by Trinity College.

Ireland now had one of the highest rates of childhood obesity in the world, said Trinity Professor of Paediatrics Hilary Hoey.

The most recent 'Growing Up in Ireland' 2009 study showed that one in four 9-year-olds here was overweight or obese, while 19pc of teenage boys were now overweight compared to 6pc in 1990.

Irish parents needed to get rid of the idea that "a fat child is a healthy child" or that they would grow out of it as they got older, as this had been categorically shown not to be the case, she said.

It was well established that obese children were at higher risk of developing cardiovascular and metabolic complications and were more likely to be obese in adulthood, said Professor Hoey.

"Given the current state of the global economy, it appears that now more than ever, it is imperative to ensure that resources are used in the most effective manner to minimise the economic impact of obesity and its treatment in the future," she said.

A survey carried out by the Irish Independent yesterday showed that a meal made from fresh ingredients -- chicken, potatoes, vegetables -- cost twice as much as one made from heavily processed ingredients -- chicken nuggets, chips, onion rings.

The processed meal also contained nearly 300 calories more than the fresh one.

Opening the conference, President Mary McAleese called on families to eat their meals together as an indispensable part of the effort needed to safeguard children's health.

source: independent