Helping Children to Eatwell in 2016

The rising obesity levels across the world are concerning. And while we don’t have the worrying statistics as the United States, it was recently revealed that in the UK a fifth of children joining primary schools are obese.

As parents we have a duty to make sure our children eat a balanced diet, and we should act as responsible role models to them. Luckily, if you live in a lovely rural county, which has boundless agricultural sites offering fresh produce, there’s really no excuse for not providing your children with hearty meals.

An interesting initiative that the government here in the UK launched recently was something called Eatwell bingo, which aimed to raise the awareness and importance of eating healthily. It’s meant to be “a fun way of encouraging players to get the balance of their diet right by using the Eatwell plate.

Food.gov.uk state, “The aim of the game is to use the Eatwell plate model in an interactive bingo game that makes learning about healthy food choices interesting and fun. Instead of calling out bingo numbers, the game features nutrition messages where players find out food facts along the way.”

Already the Eatwell plate has had great results and has even been used in schools across the UK. Additionally, this game has tapped into the renewed popularity of bingo, which has now surprisingly transcended generations with Millennials now enjoying bingo and its flexibility, which allows it to be used across a myriad of different verticals. While the government sees this as a fun way of applying it to a child’s mealtime, they have also cleverly used a game which resonates with many parents. Bingo’s popularity has even infiltrated prime-time television in the UK, with leading soap operas like Emmerdale partnering with bingo operators to launch interesting prizes.

Although designed for children, Eatwell bingo is also a good way for the whole family to eat healthily and make sure you are consuming all the right food groups on a daily basis.

If you have used Eatwell bingo, I’d love to hear if you feel it offers long-term benefits to your family in the comments section below.

*PR collaboration