RELATED CONTENT: Eating different foods key for kids’ health
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UNHEALTHY eating may be lighter on your wallet, but opting for a bargain today will have heavier consequences for your family in the long run.
That's the view of Wauchope mother Tammie Foster, who says changing her daughter's eating habits has "changed her life".
Cost and time is a common barrier to a better diet for many, but Mrs Foster said the benefits of eating healthy far outweighs the price.
"It's easier and cheaper to feed your child hot dogs and pies, instead of salad and meat," Mrs Foster said. "But making the effort is so much more important."
A study published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health showed a week's worth of healthy and environmentally sustainable food cost 30 per cent more.
An international study by the Harvard School of Public Health found, on average, a healthier shopping basket would equate to costing just $1.50 more a day.
It described the cost as trivial in comparison with the financial burden caused by diet-related chronic diseases.
Mrs Foster saw first hand the impacts a diet of highly processed foods filled with sugar and fat had on her nine-year-old daughter.
"Jess had always been a bubbly, bouncy kid," she said. "But we noticed she'd become sluggish, and unhappy. She'd be eating constantly, she had no energy."
Over time, Jessica was craving "sometimes" foods all of the time. Her metabolism seemed to slow down, and her energy levels plummeted.
"It was obvious she needed a healthier relationship and outlook on food," Mrs Foster said.
Mrs Foster said allowing her daughter to have one more ice-cream or another pie seemed harmless at the time.
"It's hard to say no, and really it's unintentional," she said.
Eventually, Jessica and her mother made a conscious decision to tackle what was becoming a significant problem.
She saw a doctor who advised Jessica visit a dietician.
"We had to cut out a lot of the sugar and simple carbohydrates," she said. "It was hard for her at the start, but she's now so much happier and so much healthier," Mrs Foster said.
In a year, her daughter had lost seven kilograms.
"It's been life changing for her."
Mrs Foster said parents owed it to their children to recognise and stop a bad relationship with food in its tracks, regardless of the cost.