Get on board with healthy habits

Piloted by health coach Belinda Smith and her family, the bus is part-way through an 18-month, 50,000 kilometre Australian tour as the family aims to deliver their Root Cause food education program to more than 100,000 children and parents across the country.

With one-in-four Aussie kids classified as overweight or obese, Mrs Smith and her husband Israel said they simply couldn't sit back and watch the children of Australia grow into a life of chronic illness and disease.

"As a mum, I want to do everything I can to stop childhood obesity in its tracks, and give my kids and their generation a healthy future," Mrs Smith said.

The couple has already run their food education program in more than 50 schools in rural and regional Australia, and from Monday, November 16 the Big Green Bus will be in Dubbo.

"My dream is that kids will see healthy food as being cool, and want to eat well all the time," Ms Smith said.

The Smith family will kick off their stay in Dubbo with a free awareness event at the Dubbo Visitor and Information Centre from 7.30am until 9.30am on Monday, November 16. Israel and Belinda will be giving away free green smoothies to children, parents and workers, and speaking to people about the importance of healthy eating habits.

The Root Cause will also host a series of workshops around Dubbo to help parents understand nutritional information and learn more about what they are feeding their kids.

"It's a big opportunity for people to learn more and take some positive steps and changes," Mr Smith said.

"Most people's reactions when they see a cup full of green, sludgy stuff is going 'ew, gross'. But it actually can taste fantastic.

"It opens up parents and kids having conversations, and the whole mission of our trip is to transform children's health."

For more information about the Root Cause's Australian tour, visit www.theRootCause.com.au.