Proud sponsor and founder Members of the food rebel movement
At Tots Creche and Childcare, Nurturing Happiness is more than an expression of our childcare philosophy, it is at the heart of our childcare policy and wellness strategy for children.
Some years back Annette and Audrey were inspired by a talk that Jamie Oliver gave at the prestigious Ted Conference about the devastation being caused by obesity.
They vowed that they would seek out ways that Tots Creche and Childcare could assist in this battle against childhood obesity.
The Opportunity
When the opportunity arose to apply our nourishment and childcare expertise in a way that we could expand its positive impact amongst a wider audience, we seized it.
Naturally nourishment through food is a pivotal part of our overall childcare wellness strategy.
At Tots Creche and Childcare we see our role as central to the long term wellness of children which is why we have invested so heavily in the development of this Food Rebel Programme.
The key to this programme’s development was making it accessible and easy to implement. So a 4 Step Programme called Food Rebels has been developed that asks crèches and parents to adhere to 4 main principles in a battle against childhood obesity.
We’ve abbreviated it at Tots to:
Go Brown/ Get Breakfast/ Step it Up/ Size it down
Each of these steps are expanded more fully below
Inspiring Anti-Obesity Talk
At Tots Creche and Childcare we see our role as central to the long term wellness of children which is why we have invested so heavily in the development of this Food Rebel Programme.
The Quick 4 Step Food Rebels Programme
Go Brown
Get Breakfast
Step it Up
Size it down
The Food Rebels Programme
1) White to brown: Offer whole-grain pasta and rice for dinner with whole-grain cereals for breakfast and whole-grain bread where practical; nine times out of ten.
2) Prioritise a wholesome breakfast: Prioritize a varied and wholesome breakfast. Include such options as porridge (with or without jam); wheat biscuits with chopped banana; boiled egg and whole-wheat toast soldiers; cereal flakes with yoghurt and berries. Breakfast is a vehicle for milk. Breakfast is one of three equally important meals of the day.
3) Add steps to each dayAdd five minutes of movement to every hour. Use every opportunity to move (musical chairs, star-jumps, dancing on the spot, walking, playing out doors). The goal is to achieve no less than five thousand steps per child per day.
4) Portion sizeVegetables should make up half the dinner plate. Colour to be a priority (carrots and broccoli, sweet potato and cabbage, corn and peas). Children need to be encouraged to eat from all parts of the plate but not to finish their plate, unless hungry to do so. Fruit to be offered twice daily, at
Why it's so important
Remember 25% of our children are either overweight or obese by the age of 3! As parents and childcare workers we are rebelling against the onslaught of childhood obesity. The earlier we tackle it, the better chance we have of beating it.
What is healthy food and what is an appropriate food portion isn't always so obvious. Indeed billions are spent yearly to persuade us that foods that may NOT be healthy are good for us.
Food Rebels cut through the plethora of confusing messages to educate childcare workers, parents and children about healthier food choices. At Tots Creche and Childcare, our hope and aim is for crèches and parents nationwide to sign up to the Food Rebels programme.
In addition to this innovation, our intention at Tots Creche and Childcare is to further develop on this programme by providing useful tips that have been proven in behavioural science to substantially aid in the reduction of over-eating and obesity.