2023-06-12 22:00:39
“Ginger shot, anyone?” Julian van Stee, lifestyle coach at Het Rijks, calls out. A few students make a dirty face, but a few also tack because of the enthusiasm with which Van Stee praises the shots. “Or else a piece of fruit to put in your bag?”
The Breakfast Club (‘BFC, healthier than KFC’ is the motto of the school) has been running for a few weeks now. At 8 o’clock in the morning Van Stee makes fresh smoothies from (soy) milk, fruit and sometimes some oatmeal. First-grader Jayden helps and displays the fresh fruit, yoghurts and gingerbread (wholemeal and without sugar). The students can also order sandwiches. They are eagerly deducted. “It’s not the healthiest choice, but we want the students to know where to find us and to have breakfast,” explains Van Stee. “In the meantime, if I can tempt them to try a piece of avocado or grab a few tomatoes for breakfast, that’s a nice step.”
And that is necessary. Because recently figures from Statistics Netherlands and RIVM showed that the percentage of overweight children and young people will increase in 2022, from 15 to 17 percent. Overweight especially among adolescents and young adults increased.
To top chef Jamie Oliver
Van Stee, à la top chef Jamie Oliver, would prefer to teach children in vulnerable neighborhoods all about healthy eating and also provide nutritious, hot meals. It’s not that far yet. The government has received a subsidy, so they can hire Van Stee and offer breakfast for free. The school receives support from a health broker from School and Youth of the GGD Gelderland-Zuid. They guide various schools in the region in working towards a Healthy School. “A healthy breakfast is a good example, but it can also be about a healthy canteen. Just where the school has the most urgency,” says health broker Bernadette Janssen. “That is sometimes very practical, such as letting children experience tastes. But attention is also paid to the physical and social environment of the students. In this way we try to tell parents more about a healthy lifestyle.”
Rayan (14) hardly ever eats breakfast at home. “No time, I have to go to school,” he says, grabbing a banana and ordering a sandwich. When asked if he is busy with healthy eating, he rolls his eyes. “I’m not a cheese head, so we eat a lot and delicious at home. Healthy too. Rice and meat, no Dutch pot. Recently I’ve been paying more attention. I have a back injury and the doctor says it is better to lose weight. So I’m going to work out now and I think it’s really good that we have the BreakfastClub at school.”
Overweight in children is on the rise
Pediatrician Ines von Rosenstiel works at the expertise center for children with obesity at Rijnstate in Arnhem. She also sees that overweight in children is increasing. “Children up to the age of 12 are doing a bit better, but about one in eight adolescents is overweight and one in four among 18 to 25-year-olds.”
Don’t all those health programs in schools and in vulnerable neighborhoods work? “Extra attention to healthy eating and exercise certainly has added value,” says Von Rosenstiel. “But it’s not enough. Being overweight is a reflection of what is going on in society.” In addition to good nutrition and more exercise, other factors play a role, such as stress, sitting in front of a screen for a long time, poor sleep and mental health. Von Rosenstiel: “It is complex. We see that children who are seriously overweight often have more problems. For example, parents who are in a violent divorce, children with a diagnosis such as ADHD, autism or depressive symptoms. Or they come from families living in poverty. And let’s not forget that unhealthy food is cheap and available everywhere. In this respect, it is also up to the government.”
Von Rosenstiel believes that the programs at schools or in the neighborhood could be improved. “It may become more culturally sensitive. Now a healthy breakfast is mainly presented as a wholemeal sandwich with cheese, while of course more is possible. Attention should also be paid to that.”
Read also:
Obesity is becoming more common among young people
Overweight young people are becoming more and more common. Especially 18 to 25 year olds are often overweight. A quarter of them will be overweight in 2022, 7 percent of whom will be obese.
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