Crunch Bites – Details, episodes & analysis

We know food, sleep, and movement are important for growing bodies, but how much of each should our children aim for every day? And how do they all influence each other? Join Mikala as she speaks with Dr Jazzmin Zheng, Senior Research Fellow from Deakin University, about eating, sleeping, and moving.

Topics covered in today’s episode:

-      How diet changes from early years to childhood.

-      How nutrition, physical activity, and sleep interact with each other.

-      Recommendations around nutrition, movement, and sleep for children.

Episode links:

-      Jazzmin’s research

-      Australian physical activity, sedentary, and sleep guidelines

-      Australian Guide to Healthy Eating guidelines for children

-      Transcript 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Knowing how to read a food label is an important skill, and if you're not aware of some of the basics to look out for it can be a confusing space to navigate.

In this episode, Mikala and Nicole chat about the marketing tactics food companies use to sell their products and provide some practical tips to help you choose the best of the bunch when shopping for food that will fuel your family well.

Topics covered in today’s episode:

-      Marketing tactics companies use to make their product more appealing

-      Understanding the ingredient list and what to look out for  

-      How to use the nutrition information panel effectively

Episode links:

-      Label reading wallet card, digital or order a hard copy  

-      Navigating the supermarket blog.

-      More about label reading

-      About the Health Star rating system 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It can be a daunting task raising children in a world where there are so many societal norms, attitudes and pressures around food and body image. Join Mikala as she speaks with Dr Stephanie Damiano, Manager of the Body Bright Program with the Butterfly Foundation. Stephanie shares invaluable tips on how to support your children to create positive relationships with food and body image. Stephanie also talks about understanding body dissatisfaction and disordered eating, and some of the warning signs for parents who have concerns.

Topics covered in this episode:

•      What is body image, body dissatisfaction and disordered eating?
•      The importance of language and role modelling.
•      Tips on how to create a positive relationship with food and body image.
•      What are some of the early signs to look for when children may be developing body dissatisfaction or disordered eating.
•       Where to go for support. 

If you or anyone you know needs support, please call Butterfly’s National Helpline on 1800 ED HOPE (1800 33 4673), visit the Butterfly website to chat online or email support@butterfly.org.au

For more information about these topics head to the website using the links below.

Episode links:

•         Butterfly Foundation website
•         Body Bright families free resources (families with 5-12 year olds)
•         Body Kind Families free resources (families with teens)
•         Episode transcript 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today's episode Mikala and Nicole chat about how to tackle picky eating and encourage your kids to be more adventurous eaters. Eating a range of core foods, particularly a variety of vegetables, is important for a child's growth and development. Finding ways to include these core foods regularly comes with lots of benefits. Food refusal or eating a limited range of foods is normal across the years, and progress can sometimes be slow. Mikala and Nicole talk about the importance of positive role modelling and being sure to celebrate the small wins! 

Join Mikala and Nicole as they chat about some of the reasons for picky eating and discuss some practical tips to help increase the variety of food your child eats. 

Topics covered in this episode:

• What is fussy eating, is it normal, and when should parents be concerned?
• The importance of taste and texture and the role this plays on food enjoyment or food refusal. 
• The role parents play at mealtimes and the division of responsibility – parents can choose what food to provide and when to serve it, children can choose what food to eat and how much is enough.
• Practical strategies for your family to overcome different stages of fussy eating.

Episode links:

• Crunch&Sip® Sensory play mats
• Crunch&Sip® Food coaching blog
• Crunch&Sip® Hero healthy habits blog
• Episode transcript

Are you a WA primary school, community group or an Early Learning Centre and want to host a Packed with Goodness session? Get more information here: https://www.crunchandsip.com.au/healthy-lunchboxes/book-a-session

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In this wholesome episode, Mikala speaks with Dr Preeya Alexander about reaching for rainbow foods and how to make healthy food in the home fun for all. Dr Preeya is a mum of two, a passionate GP, a well known social media personality, a TV host and a HUGE rainbow enthusiast. Dr Preeya talks about her books (The Rainbow Plate, Full Plate & Eat Sleep Play Love), and how using story telling through entertainment is just as valuable when it comes to familiarising kids with vegetables and increasing exposure. The more times children are exposed to new vegetables, the more likely they are to try something new and reach for a variety of veg.  

Topics covered in this episode:

• Introducing new vegetables using stories. 
• The importance of reaching for rainbow foods for healthy growth and development.
• How to make healthy food in the home fun.
• A selection of great resources and books, including those authored by Dr Preeya, and how these can help families build healthy habits.

Episode links:

• Dr Preeya Alexander website
• Rainbow Plate by Dr Preeya Alexander
• Full Plate by Dr Preeya Alexander
• Eat, Sleep, Play, Love by Dr Preeya Alexander
• Sensory play mat
• Eat for health website
• Crunch&Sip® crunch the rainbow blog
• Episode transcript 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today's episode, Mikala and Nicole take a deep dive into packing lunchboxes. Over the years of helping parents in this space, they find that most parents have the same common questions when it comes to trying to pack a healthy lunchbox that actually gets eaten. How much should I pack? What should I pack for long lasting energy? And what should I do when it keeps coming back full? It is no secret that the lunchbox journey can feel hard to navigate some days!

Join Mikala and Nicole as they answer common questions and provide practical and simple tips to help parents tackle packing the lunchbox.

Topics covered in this episode:

• A road map for packing a balanced lunchbox.
• Ideas and inspiration for what to pack across the day.
• Food safety and how to keep food the right temperature across the day.
• Navigating the lunchbox aisle.
• Troubleshooting and tips to follow if the lunchbox comes back full.

Episode links:

• Lunchbox notes
• Crunch&Sip® Food labels blog
• Crunch&Sip® Food detectives: Decoding labels and navigating the supermarket blog 
• Crunch&Sip® Maintaining those healthy swaps blog
• Crunch&Sip® Sandwich builder free download
• Episode transcript

Are you a WA primary school, community group or an Early Learning Centre and want to host a Packed with Goodness session? Get more information here: https://www.crunchandsip.com.au/healthy-lunchboxes/book-a-session

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cooking with kids can be a messy, fun, and crazy learning journey. Join Mikala and Nicole, as they share the key ingredients that will help you successfully get the kids in the kitchen and have fun at the same time.

Learn about all the wonderful benefits involved in getting kids in the kitchen, the age appropriate tasks kids can help with, and why letting go of perfection helps us all.

Mikala and Nicole will share some of their favourite recipes to start the ball rolling and when cooking with kids.

Topics covered in this episode:

• What are the benefits of cooking with kids
• Ways you can involve kids in the kitchen
• What tasks can kids do depending on their age and developmental stage
• Great recipes to start children's cooking journey off
• The importance of food safety and hygiene when cooking with kids
• Other tips to consider when cooking with kids 

Episode links

• Unicorn noodles
• Recipes
• Transcript 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yoghurt has earned its place as a valuable addition to a child's day and offers a wide range of benefits that can support wellbeing. This healthy staple is rich in essential nutrients such as bone-strengthening calcium, brain-boosting protein, and gut-loving probiotics.  

Join Mikala and Nicole for this bonus episode as they talk about how yoghurt is made, which varieties to reach for and how much protein and calcium ticks the box when choosing the best of the bunch in the weekly food shop.  

Topics covered in this episode:  

• How is yoghurt made? 
• Which varieties to reach for?  
• How much of the essential nutrients a serve of yoghurt can provide 
• How to add flavour and texture to your yoghurt 
• Tips on serving in savoury meals and snacks  

Episode links 

• Study analysis 
• Eat for health 
• How to make yoghurt at home  
• Episode transcript  

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dairy is an important food group for everyone, especially our kids, whose bodies (and bones) are going through rapid growth and development. Dairy is a great source of protein, as well as containing essential vitamins and minerals such as Iodine, Vitamin A & D, Zinc, and Calcium, all of which are essential for those constant growth spurts!

Join Mikala and Nicole for this mini episode as they share information about dairy, the best ways to reach for this important food group, how much to include each day and some good alternatives if dairy does not agree with you. 

Topics covered in this episode:

•         What is dairy?
•         Why it is important that kids are getting enough dairy each day. 
•         How we can include dairy in our kids' diet and how much should they be getting? 
•         What are some good dairy alternatives and what we want to look out for when selecting these products.

Episode links:

•         Eat for health webpage
•         Episode transcript

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, Mikala will be speaking with special guest Emma Groves, Obesity Policy Senior Coordinator at Cancer Council WA. Emma’s work is focused on advocating for policy change in Western Australia to help create environments that support healthy eating. 

Join Mikala and Emma as they chat about how advertising and business practices of the food industry are impacting children's health, why there is a need for regulation, and what can be done to address these issues and reduce harm for our children.

Topics covered in this episode:

•         What do we mean when we say food environment?
•         How our kids are exposed to junk food advertising everyday.
•         What impact this has on our families’ health.
•         Does where you live make a difference to the amount of junk food advertising you see?
•         What can governments do to reduce junk food advertising?
•         What parents can do if they would like to see change.

Episode links:

•         Emma Groves LinkedIn
•         Emma’s LiveLighter Articles
•         Episode transcript

If you want to learn more or contact Emma, email us on nutrition@cancerwa.asn.au or our Instagram https://www.instagram.com/crunchandsip/

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