GO4FUN participants took their new skills to the supermarket shelves earlier this week as part of a free, healthy lifestyle program for 7-13 year olds.
The Go4Fun program is practical and interactive program designed to teach children who are above their healthy weight and their parents skills for life, such as preparing and eating healthy foods, reading food labels and encouraging healthy shopping on a budget.
As part of the program a group toured Coles in Port Macquarie from 3.30pm to 5.30pm on Monday.
“The supermarket tour is a hands-on session where children and their families can put their new skills into practice and start to make healthier food choices,” local Go4Fun manager Margo Johnston said.
“Acting as food detectives, they seek out general shopping items, read the food labels to determine what are the healthiest options.
“Once children are able to identify the contents of common food items, they then use the Go4Fun guidelines to encourage them to make healthy choices, try new foods and modify their diets.”
She said many of our parents were also shocked to discover that foods they previously thought were ‘lite’ or ‘healthy’, especially snack foods, actually contained high levels of sugar or fat.
“After participating in these activities they are armed with the skills to identify these ingredients for themselves,” Ms Johnston said.
The Go4Fun program is a free healthy lifestyle program and it is available to families across the Mid North Coast, wishing to improve their child’s diet, exercise levels and overall happiness. The program, involves two weekly sessions over the course of the 10-week school term. Best of all – it’s fun and free.
Local families who have participated in the program say it has helped to improve their eating and exercise habits, reduce their waistlines plus improved their children’s physical activity levels and self-esteem.
Places for the Go4Fun program for term one, commencing in February 2014, are now being offered at local venues, including Port Macquarie and Wauchope. Go4Fun is funded by the NSW Department of Health, so places worth up to $900 per child are being offered completely free of charge.
Places are limited, so families who are interested in taking part should contact Go4Fun on 1800 780 900 or text 0409 745 645 to request a call back, to register or learn more about the program.
