With child obesity rates at an all-time high in Australia, mother-of-two Kathrine Lynch is looking at parents to take responsibility for their part.
The New Zealand-based mother-of-two believes too many adults are relying on takeaway options as a source of nutrition because they believe it is cheaper – not realising they can more than half the cost of a meal by making it at home.
‘Fast food is marketed in a way to sound like it’s good value for money,’ the founder of Busy Happy Kids told FEMAIL.
With child obesity rates at an all-time high in Australia, mother-of-two Kathrine Lynch (pictured) is looking at parents to take responsibility for their part
‘We like to think that we are getting a large amount of food for the money we spend. If you buy meat that is on special, veggies in season and learn a few basic recipes you will be surprised how little it can cost to whip up a quick, healthy dinner.’
Kathrine famously spent just $100 to make 62 meals in a food challenge – making it just $4.86 per dinner for her family. More recently she’s also curated a $70 food challenge for the week.
‘When it comes to children’s weight, education is a key factor. People don’t know what they don’t know, if parents haven’t learned how to budget and cook at home or school, where do we expect them to learn it from?’ She explained.
Kathrine famously spent just $100 to make 62 meals in a food challenge – making it just $4.86 per dinner for her family
In a typical week Kathrine spends between $100-200 – depending on whether she buys her bulk meat that week or not
‘If people genuinely think that buying fast food is cheaper then that’s what they will continue to do. I do a lot of work with low income families helping them to budget and cook so they can make positive changes I teach them how to eat healthy on a low budget – my $70 budget is an example of this.’
In a typical week Kathrine spends between $100-200 – depending on whether she buys her bulk meat that week or not.
She has one main tip for parents attempting to give their kids the best nutritional start in life.
‘Keep a food and physical activity diary for seven days to have a good hard look at what types of food your children are eating, how much they are eating and how much physical activity they are doing,’ she said.
‘Are there areas they can improve their diet; reduce foods high in sat, saturated fat and sugar, increase fruits, veggies and lean meats and how can they incorporate more activity – bike rides, trips to the playground, swimming?
‘I think a lot of parents would be shocked at the results of their seven day diary.’
While she doesn’t expect anyone to make miraculous changes overnight, it should certainly be something parents work on with their tribe
Kathrine shares tips on budgeting the weekly supermarket trip for other busy parents on her blog, Busy Happy Kids
While she doesn’t expect anyone to make miraculous changes overnight, it should certainly be something parents work on with their tribe.
‘Healthy eating takes time and commitment but a few small changes can make a huge difference to the future of your children,’ she said.
‘Instill good eating and exercise habits while they are young and chances are they will follow these through into adulthood.’
Kathrine shares tips on budgeting the weekly supermarket trip for other busy parents on her blog, Busy Happy Kids.
When she underwent the $100 challenge she was able to truly put her nutritional and financial savvy tricks to the test
When she underwent the $100 challenge she was able to truly put her nutritional and financial savvy tricks to the test.
Her saving suggestions include using eggs to bulk up meals and add in extra protein and only paying for groceries in cash so you don’t overspend.
‘Try and slowly reduce your grocery bill, for example aim to save $10 per week for a month and see how you get on and then see if you can reduce it a further $10 per week, a saving of $20 per week = $1,000 for the year, that’s a very nice Christmas sorted!’ Kathrine said.
‘Aim to only go back to the supermarket one extra time per week and stick to a list, if you only need bread and milk then only buy bread and milk. Often we buy extras and it all adds up.’
You can follow Kathrine’s family food challenges on her Facebook page here.