After our last post revealed most Aussie parents struggle to get their kids involved in the kitchen here are five quick tips that could help:

1. Decide on a weekly meal plan together – sit down, go through cookbooks and choose at least a couple of meals to prepare together
2. Get your kids to write the shopping list
3. Invite them to help you do the grocery shopping as this will encourage interest
4. Make shopping more exciting by alternating visits to farmers markets or green grocers with trips to the supermarket
5. Let them help you mix ingredients, wash vegetables and separate eggs. Gradually increase the complexity of their tasks depending on their age and confidence.

Next time you’re doing the shopping, why not grab a carton of Pauls Zymil and promote a healthier balance for you and your family?

Recent research has revealed two-thirds of Australian parents find it too time consuming and difficult to involve their kids in cooking. According to child nutrition experts however, keeping kids out of the kitchen could be causing long term damage.

The research, conducted by Newspoll for a well-known FMCG brand, revealed some startling statistics:

• 44 per cent of Aussie parents say their children aren’t interested in food preparation
• 1 in 3 parents aren’t personally interested in cooking
• 1 in 4 parents rarely or never involve their children in the grocery shopping
• 1 in 5 parents says their children are rarely or never involved in the selection of products at the supermarket
• 3 in 10 parents say their children aren’t involved in the preparation of home cooked meals
• Around 7 in 10 parents indicated they’d like to spend more time talking to their children about healthy eating and healthy cooking.

Parents also want to know more about the sorts of things they should be explaining to their children about nutrition and healthy food preparation (with nearly 1 in 5 strongly agreeing with each of these).

The kitchen is the place to encourage children to make healthy eating choices – and the earlier on the better. So, our next post will be covering some quick tips to help get your kids back in the kitchen.

Research has shown¹ that milk may be more effective as a sports drink to help us re-fuel after exercise than the traditional carbohydrate-replacement sports drinks. Being about 90% water, milk is ideal for re-hydration and contains an ideal natural mix of carbohydrate and protein to help replenish tired bodies.

So next time you head to the store to pick up your post-basketball game sports drink, stop! Give milk a go – and make sure it’s Pauls Zymil, so you can enjoy a lactose-free, easy to digest post-workout recovery drink.

If you have any easy-to-prepare healthy snack suggestions for game day, we’d love to hear them!

1 Shirreffs SM et al. (2007) Milk as an effective post-exercise rehydration drink. Brit J Nutr 98, 173-80

Playing organised sport is a significant part of our childhood experiences. In fact 63% of Australian children aged 5 to 14 years play sport for an average of 6 hours per fortnight¹. Add that to the countless hours of playground tiggy and homework and that’s a lot of energy being burned!

It’s important to help children have enough fluids and appropriate pre-exercise meals and snacks to help keep their growing body’s energy levels up and in the game – whatever their athletic endeavours.

Here are some tips which may make it easier to keep young tykes fuelled:

Avoid sports supplements
Young athletes may think they need to consume sports supplements to perform at their best like they see professional sports people endorsing. In reality, a well balanced diet rich in nutrients and good hydration is a much better choice.

Pre-game hydration is vital!
Children should be encouraged to stay properly hydrated before, during, and after active sports – and the best thirst quencher is still plain old water. Encourage children to drink plenty of water each day, especially on game days, so they don’t run the risk of being dehydrated.

Balanced diet
The ninemsn.com.au Health & Wellbeing Channel² recommends children eat a variety of foods from each of the core food groups:

• Breads, cereals and other grain foods
• Vegetables
• Fruit
• Milk (make sure it’s Pauls Zymil!)
• Meat, fish, poultry, eggs and legumes to ensure an adequate intake of all the essential nutrients.

1 Australian Bureau of Statistics:
http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/4901.0

2 Health & Wellbeing Channel:
http://health.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=689799

We’re very happy to announce the return of regular posts right here on the Zymil blog!

We’ll have lots of great new lactose free recipes, and we’ll also be posting easy to digest facts, health and wellbeing tips, and other info to help lactose sensitive people live life to the fullest.

Just in case you’re not already a Pauls Zymil drinker, a bit of background: Pauls Zymil is a milk developed specifically for those with lactose sensitivity, and is available in both full cream and low fat varieties.

• It’s lactose free
• easy to digest
• has the great taste of real milk (because it is)
• is gluten free
• and rich in calcium.

Basically it allows you to enjoy everything you love about milk again, including all the health benefits, calcium and of course – the great taste. Our loyal customers swear by it, so if you have trouble digesting normal milk – do yourself a favour and try Pauls Zymil out.

Oh, and if you’d like to get recipes, health tips and other relevant info, just enter your email address over there on the right and we’ll let you know when there’s a new blog entry (don’t worry, we’ll keep your email address strictly confidential and won’t share it with anyone).