Green bus helping change family eating habits

Health coach Belinda Smith and her family are in Dubbo as part of the Root Cause tour of Australia, helping parents and children to form healthy eating habits.

"The frightening statistics are just getting worse," Mrs Smith said.

"One in four of our children are now overweight or obese.

"Our children are growing into chronic illness, not health and for the first time in history our kids are being touted to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents."

The Smith family has been delivering their Mad Food Science program for more than a year, with an information and awareness session kicking off the Dubbo leg of the tour.

The family uses their big green bus 'Kaley' as a conversation starter, and will host education sessions for parents and children throughout the week.

"The education classes for our kids are about them thinking about what they are eating," Mrs Smith said.

"I show them how pretend food does nothing for our hearts and our memories, but real food does."

The program for parents focuses on packing a healthy lunch, to give children the best foundation for learning at school.

"A large amount of a child's nutrition comes in their lunchbox and a lot of what's in their is not doing anything to help with concentration and learning," Mrs Smith said.

"My aim is for them [parents] to go away and say 'I need to make a stand for my children's health'.

"If it's not you [making a stand], who is it?"

Belinda Smith will give a presentation on healthy lunchboxes from 6.30pm on Wednesday, November 18 at the Regand Park Early Childhood Education Centre.

Visit therootcause.com.au/events for more information.