Sabri Ülker Foundation Meets Parents at Creative Children's Festival in Istanbul

Sabri Ülker Vakfı gathered with parents at the Creative Children's Festival within the framework of the Balanced Nutrition in Food Education Project, which it launched in 2011 with the Ministry of National Education to teach the foundations of balanced nutrition to children for healthier and happier future generations. The Foundation hosted a panel titled "Living Actively" at the Festival. At the panel held on Sunday, 26 May at Maçka Küçükçiftlik Park, Prof. Dr. Saniye Bilici, Faculty Member of Gazi University Department of Nutrition and Dietetics provided information on child nutrition and active living, while S. Pedagogue, Psychotherapist and Author Soner Koşan shared information on the importance of physical activities in children. Begüm Mutuş, General Director of Sabri Ülker Vakfı shared detailed information about the Balanced Nutrition in Food Education Project with participants. Begüm Mutuş, General Director of Sabri Ülker Vakfı, noting that through the Balanced Nutrition in Food Education Project, which is the most comprehensive educational program in terms of student numbers and grade levels, they have reached more than 6 million children, parents and teachers to date, stated: "According to data from the Childhood Obesity Research (COSI-TR), three out of every four children in Turkey do not engage in any sports. During the week, 22.4% of children and on weekends 19.7% play computer games for at least one hour. With this awareness, we added physical activity to our project, which is enriched with innovations each year, this year with the 'Living Actively' module.

We adapted to Turkey the project developed by the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) Research Foundation and implemented as Take 10 in countries such as the United States, China and Thailand.

In schools where the Balanced Nutrition in Food Education Project is currently implemented, our children start their day with 10-minute fun physical activities. Our aim is to instill a healthy lifestyle awareness in more of our children," he said. Prof. Dr. Saniye Bilici, Faculty Member of Gazi University Department of Nutrition and Dietetics: "You are your children's first teacher. Your child's behaviors are shaped by the habits you instill in them. Thus, eating habits take their place among the most important behaviors your child learns from you. Children from families with adequate and balanced nutrition have an advantage in developing correct eating habits. For example, a mother, father or sibling who skips breakfast or is picky about food can inadvertently cause the other child to develop these unwanted habits as well. As your child grows, the physical and social changes they go through also affect their eating behaviors and food choices. In this age group, difficulties experienced during the day can sometimes develop as a reaction to you, food and eating. In such situations, rather than insisting on what they eat, it may be beneficial to maintain tolerance," he said. S. Pedagogue, Psychotherapist and Author Soner Koşan, noting that physical activity begins in the womb, continued his remarks as follows: "As we approach birth, our movements accelerate. These natural behaviors themselves clearly demonstrate the impact of physical activities on our social, emotional, cognitive and motor skills. Movement affects our children's mental development as well as their physical development. For example, movement develops fine and gross motor skills and coordination perception. It plays a role in children learning about various physical laws such as fast, slow, near, far, below, above, right and left. Children learn to follow rules, understand the importance of team members, develop empathy, discipline, motivation, leadership, learn emotions and cope with their emotions through physical activity. Moreover, movement supports the development of bone, cartilage, tendons, ligaments and muscles in physical development and musculoskeletal development, and also regulates the respiratory and cardiovascular systems," he said.