Bay Harbour: March 16, 2016

Wednesday March 16 2016
BAY HARBOUR
PAGE 17
health Health
Kids’ lunches pack a salty punch
KIDS’ LUNCHBOXES,
often exceed the
total recommended
daily salt intake.
That’s the finding from
Consumer NZ’s
investigation, published at
consumer.org.nz and in the
March edition of Consumer
magazine, to conincide with
World Salt Awareness Week.
Excessive sodium from
the salt in our diet can lead to
high blood pressure, a major
risk factor for stroke, and
creating a taste for too much
salt early in life can
predispose children to
various health problems
later in life. Salt is often
unexpectedly present in
processed foods.
Consumer gives the
example of a child’s lunchbox
containing a ham and cheese
bread roll, a packet of Shultz
Mini Pretzels and a packet of
Select Little Families
Biscuits. The salt content of
this menu exceeds the
maximum daily limit for salt
recommended for a 5-6 yearold
and is more than 90 per
cent for a child 11-14.
Stroke Foundation
national health promotion
manager Jo Jarden said:
“Tastes and eating habits can
be formed early, so feeding
your children fresh
unprocessed foods is the best
way to set them on a healthy
path. Processed foods put
Southland teacher runs around the world
2010 2011
By Rachel Grunwell
SALT LICK:
Children
acquire a
taste for salt
at a young
age.
more salt in our diet than we
need and create a taste for it
that can lead to overconsumption.
If we start our
children on fresh, natural
food instead of salty
processed snacks we do them
the greatest favour.”
“PROCESSED FOODS PUT
Rotorua, so he will enter the
‘Rotorua Marathon
MORE SALT IN OUR DIET
THAN WE NEED.
Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial
Consumer highlights
many of the conveniently
pre-packed snacks that are
so handy for lunchboxes, but
so full of salt. Chippies, minipretzels
and crackers are top
offenders.
Foods that may be
thought of as ‘fresh’ such as
cheese, ham and other
cooked or cured meats are
also processed using salt.
Spreads like Vegemite or
peanut butter can also be
very salty. Even sweet foods
When Bill Richardson runs the Survivors Club’. You have
Rotorua Marathon onWhakamaharatanga April 30 it to have completedo thiste Motu mō te Rū o Waitaha
will be his 307th marathon. event 15 times to be a club
The 64-year-old Invercargill member.
school teacher has quietly
“It will be as good as gold
clocked up this amazing feat to be in the club,” he says.
with his feet and barely told a Richardson loves the
soul!
Rotorua event because “it
When he ran his 300th
has a bit of town, hills and
marathon at the Buller Gorge country”. He also loves that
the Marathon Canterbury in February earthquake he National it’s a big river event - the with Memorial a lot ofWall on the south
Memorial celebrated will by provide eatinga cake place with to reflect history. bank and a reflective space on the
on run the friends. events that changed Canterbury Elite north athletes, bank.
forever, Thepaying 2016 Rotorua respect Marathon to the 185 people international runners to FUN RUN: Bill Richardson, left, tackles the
who willlost be atheir cause lives of celebration,
as a result of the everyday the north runners bank love was it. completed
Wanganui
for
Marathon with friends Kiri Price,
too. It will be 15th lap of Lake But of course, he admits centre, and Graeme Tindall.
A place to reflect, remember and pay respect
earthquake on 22 February 2011. It will
also acknowledge the shared experience
of the Canterbury community and
recognise the huge support received
from the many organisations that
assisted with the recovery operation.
the site of the Memorial is on a stretch
of the Ōtākaro/avon River between
Montreal Street and Rhododendron
Island. the site covers both banks of the
Memorial designer -
Grega Vezjak
Following the anonymous Call for Ideas
to Remember process, Grega Vezjak’s
Memorial Wall design was selected in
May 2015 for the Canterbury earthquake
National Memorial.
Grega lives in Bilje, Slovenia with his wife
and three children.
22 February, on the fifth anniversary
of the Christchurch earthquake. this
peaceful space, with established trees
and a curved seat along the path edge,
invites visitors to sit, take a stroll closer
to the rivers’ edge and privately reflect.
From here, visitors can also watch the
construction of the Memorial Wall on
the other side of the river, and will enjoy
a great view of the Wall from this space,
once complete. ■
He studied architecture at Ljubljana
university, and acknowledges the beauty
of the city and the works of Slovenian
architects which have all contributed to
his architectural style. Grega’s work has
won numerous design and architecture
awards, both locally and internationally.
Grega is honoured his design was
selected for the Memorial. From
Bilje, and during his frequent visits to
Christchurch, Grega is working with a
View of the completed reflective space
on the Memorial north bank, looking west
toward Montreal Street
wide range of
people including
bereaved families,
the seriously
injured, first
responders and
the Memorial
project team to
finalise his vision
for the Memorial
Wall. ■
such as biscuits contain salt
and add to the daily intake.
There are lower salt
options available, such as
certain brands of popcorn,
tuna in springwater, and
unsalted peanut butter.
Fresh fruit and vegetable
options such as carrot sticks
are another good way to
avoid salt.
Last year Consumer
highlighted how excessively
salty diets were ‘a ticking
time bomb’ could raise the
STROKE RISK
■ Too much salt in the
diet contributes to
raised blood pressure,
the biggest single risk
factor for stroke.
■ The Ministry of Health
recommended
maximum daily salt
intake for 4-8 year olds
is 3.5g but the 2009
Total Diet Survey found
that average intakes
were over 4.5g, even
before salt added at the
table was taken into
account.
■ Low-salt foods have
less than 120mg of
sodium per 100g.
■ High-salt foods have
more than 600mg of
sodium per 100g.
■ The Stroke
Foundation has a
handy online quiz at
saltwise.co.nz
blood pressures of children.
“Busy parents find it hard
to read all the small print on
pre-packed children’s snacks
to check how much salt is in
them,” said Jo Jarden.
“The food industry could
certainly do more to provide
low and no-salt options,
especially in items targeted
directly at children.”
that the
update
last 10km is always He fuels his marathon
tough.
running with a porridge of oats,
Richardson’s first sunflower seeds, chia, flaxseeds
marathon was in
and banana, topped with
Invercargill in 1980. He has walnuts and almonds.
since run most major world His top running tips? Don’t
marathons and several start too fast and “enjoy it”.
repeatedly in New Zealand. Entries are still open for the
He has spent about Rotorua Marathon on April 30.
$150,000 on his passion and Register online at:
he jokes “the rest of Tribute my rotoruamarathon.co.nz
through design
other earnings were
wasted”. He has a room full ■ Rachel Grunwell is our weekly
of medals and event
a large number well-being of individuals columnist. and organisations
She’s the
T-shirts. including bereaved director family of inspiredhealth.co.nz/.
members, the
His fastest timeseriously was 2hr injured, Follow first her responder facebook.com/ organisations,
50min in the Christchurch embassies, Christchurch InspiredHealthNZ City Council and Instagram: and te
Marathon in 1997. Rūnanga o Ngāi @inspiredhealthandfitness
tahu were involved the
process which lead to the selection of the
Memorial Wall design.
Memorial Wall
designer
Further work is now taking place on the finer
design detail, including how acknowledgement
of the seriously injured and first responders,
the experience and loss to the community, and
events that occurred on 22 February 2011 will
be expressed at the site.
a comprehensive process is also underway to
ensure the names of the 185 people who lost
their lives in the earthquake will be arranged
in a way that is meaningful to their loved ones.
the names will be inscribed into the stone of
the Memorial Wall.
Construction of the Wall is due to begin within
the coming month and will be ready for official
dedication on 22 February 2017. this day will
mark the completion of an important memorial
for all those touched by the 22 February 2011
Christchurch earthquake. ■
For more information and to view the Memorial Wall animated fly-through ccdu.govt.nz/eqm
CERA/EQA004/BH