Summer time...

There's a summer holiday feel to the food stories in the press today.  For many families, this is a time for taking the kids to theme parks and leisure centres, as well as holidays in the Mediterranean.  And yet there is an irony here: the so-called Med Diet, rich in fruit, vegetables and unsaturated fats contrasts sharply with what a local government survey found was actually being served up to kids out for a summer treat at theme parks and leisure centres. The healthy diet (plenty of fruit and vegetables and starchy foods, preferably wholegrains, some protein rich foods such as milk and dairy foods, meat, fish, eggs, beans and pulses) is replaced by foods high in fat, sugar and salt.

Since there is compelling evidence for the health benefits of a balanced diet, as illustrated in our eatwell plate, surely we should expect something a little healthier and more imaginative for our kids when they are out for a summer holiday treat?