21st Jun, 2003

Survey finds parents see balanced diet and exercise as
children’s weapons against SARS
Tuck shop foods as an alternative to home-made meals
to get a balanced diet

(Hong Kong, 21 June 2003) Although many Hong Kong parents are aware that a balanced diet plus regular exercise are crucial to boosting their children’s immunity against diseases like SARS, many of them are not sure of what exactly makes a balanced diet, a recent survey found.

To summarize schools have an important role to play as an alternative source of healthy and nutritious foods for students, complementing home-made meals.

Commissioned by the Hong Kong Gourmet Limited at the wake of the SARS outbreak, the survey titled “The Fittest New Generation – Balanced Diet and Immunity” gauged parents’ understanding of the relationship between a balanced diet and their children’s immunity system and their related practice. It also explored changes in students’ diets when classes were suspended because of SARS.

A total of 4,700 questionnaires were distributed in mid-May to parents of students from three primary and three secondary schools and more than 2,400 parents completed and returned the questionnaire. The response rate was 52%.

The survey found that while 83% and 85% of the parents respectively believed that a balanced diet and exercise can help to prevent their children from contracting diseases and for boosting their immunity system, more than half of the parents equaled a balanced diet to eating more fruit.

“It is obvious that the majority of the responding parents were well aware of the importance of a balanced diet to maintaining their children’s health, but not all of them are sure of what makes a balanced diet,” said registered dietitian and consultant of the survey, Ms Priscilla Lau.

Topping the list of parents’ choice of food categories most conducive to increasing immunity of the body were cereals and fruit, and having insufficient vegetables in the diet was seen as most detrimental to immunity of the body.

When school was suspended during the SARS outbreak, the majority of the parents interviewed, though aware that a balanced diet is crucial to boosting their children’s immunity, did not change the quantity of cereals, vegetables, meat, fish and milk they served to their children. However, most parents encouraged fruit in-take.

More than 20% of the parents felt that lunch provided by schools contains all the nutrients their children need for a balanced diet, and 68% of the parents would encourage their hungry children to buy snacks at school tuck shops.

A balanced diet indeed is essential in maintaining good immunity, and by “balanced” it means the diet should comprise foods in proportion as indicated in healthy diet pyramid which contains a variety of nutritious food choices in cereals, vegetables, fruit, meats and dairy products. “For example, a healthy lunchbox should be made up of 50% cereals and whole grains, say, red rice, one-third of vegetables and one-sixth of meat and fish.” said Ms Lau.

About one bowl of rice, one bowl of vegetables, two to three ounces of meat per meal, and one to two glasses of low-fat milk or skimmed milk and two portions of fruit each day would be adequate for children aged between six and 12. As for teenagers, the amount of rice and meat may be increased moderately depends on the activity level of the teenager.

With parents trusting foods and lunchboxes provided by schools as good sources of nutrients for their children, Ms. Lau also urges lunchbox suppliers to offer a wider variety of nutritious and healthy dishes when coming up with recipes for balanced diet.

She added that tuck shops should pay special attention to hygiene and buy only from reliable suppliers, and offer more nutritious items, such as, fresh fruit and healthy beverages, which are “low in fat, sugar and salt, but high in fibre and calcium”. “In doing so, schools would be helping students to develop healthy eating habits, and in turn improve their health conditions.”

Founded in 2001, Hong Kong Gourmet Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Vitasoy International Holdings Limited. Equipped with an advanced and automated production system, Hong Kong Gourmet is a central kitchen facility that caters a wide variety of high quality, tasty, healthy and nutritious lunchboxes every day and also foods at special events for teachers and students in primary and secondary schools. It diligently implements the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) standards to ensure its entire production process fully meets the strictest standards for food hygiene and safety.

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For more information,
please contact Carmen Mak/ Stella Lung,
Vitasoy International Holdings Ltd.
at Tel: 2468 9644 or
E-mail:pubrel@vitasoy.com