MOST mums struggle to persuade young children to eat up their greens, but when Clare Hegarty’s young son started to reduce his already small and select circle of foods to just those coloured beige or white, she decided it was time to take action.
Disheartened by conflicting information and a perceived lack of support, the Newry mother-of-three came up with a life-changing solution: she abandoned her successful corporate career in the telecommunications industry to retrain in nutrition and try to fix things herself.
That decision, she says, not only transformed her son James’s relationship with food, but also that of his siblings, Anna (11) and Jude (7) , and led her to set up her popular ‘Busy Mums – Healthy Kids’ course which is now helping stressed-out mums from the Newry area and beyond.
"James – now a thriving 10-year-old – was showing signs of sensory issues and developmental delay when he was a toddler, but his extremely fussy eating habits began to make mealtimes a major challenge,” recalls Clare.
“It got to the point that anything with colour was virtually a no-go area – carrots, broccoli, oranges – all the healthy foods, basically, that you would like your children to eat. He had limited protein as he hated the texture of meat and chicken and water would not have crossed his lips.
“But since studying nutrition, my family are all learning about food in a positive way. The range of foods being eaten at mealtimes now is way beyond what I could ever have imagined at the start of this journey and while there are still challenges, the stress is gone.”
The first thing Clare did after graduating from the Institute of Health Sciences in Dublin (IHS) was to write the course for "all the families out there who need honest, practical, evidence-based advice” to help them “eat better, sleep better and create life-long healthy habits”.
“I see mums who put themselves at the bottom of their priority list and their health suffers as a result, so part of this course is about empowering mums to break punishing diet cycles, increase energy levels and feel confident again,” she says. “We forget that the health of our children starts with our own health and eating habits.
“When I was working in the corporate world, I travelled a lot and worked long hours in highly stressful and fast-paced business environments. I often skipped meals and got through the day on numerous cups of coffee and not much else. I just didn’t realise the significant role nutrition and lifestyle play in overall health and wellness.”
With two young children and a demanding job, Clare found her own energy levels were “on the floor” and so, cooking a meal from scratch after a long day at work was “way down” her own list of priorities.
“I understand only too well how difficult it can be trying to do it all,” she says. “For me, it was a balancing act, trying to juggle work and young children and all the demands of a busy life. One of the areas I work in now is supporting families with meal prepping and planning, as putting a simple meal plan in place can make a huge difference.”
Now a certified nutritionist and health coach, Clare began by devising colourful A-Z nutrition cards for James while exploring ways to remove the fear of trying new foods and expanding his nutritionally limited 'beige' diet.
“My son is a very visual learner, so I wanted something that would be bright and vibrant and would engage him immediately,” she explains. “I started to design the nutrition cards at home, in our kitchen, including fun facts about foods and quick-and-easy child-friendly recipes on the back.
“I spend a lot of time exploring techniques, making recipes and designing materials for this aspect of my work and one of the things I realised very quickly was that kids loved to get involved. Start with a recipe you know your child likes and let them explore the ingredients, encouraging them to use all five senses – sight, smell, hearing, taste and touch.”
Since stepping off the corporate ladder, she has been alerted to the critical role food plays in our physical and mental health – and happiness – and has been shocked at the link between diet and diabetes, obesity and mental health issues – all on the rise in children across Northern Ireland.
“Reading food labels alerts you to the fact that sometimes there are three or four different types of sugar in a breakfast cereal,” she says. “The UK has the highest reported prevalence of childhood Type 2 diabetes in Europe and a major driver is obesity. It is shocking to think that one in 10 kids is obese starting school and one in five is obese by the time they leave."
A graduate in Italian and Spanish from Queen’s University Belfast, this “regular mum” who holds qualifications in nutrition and lifestyle coaching, sleep disorders and anxiety management, is training further for her Level 5 (Institute of Leadership and Management) in coaching and aims to continue her studies in nutrition at the IHS in September.
She is also, making a return (of sorts) to the corporate world…
“I want to expand my programmes into the corporate space, to help companies put health and wellness at the heart of their business,” she enthuses. “I am passionate about helping people transform their own and their children’s health, whether at home or in the workplace.
“Food directly affects how our children think and feel and it also impacts on learning and behaviour – I know that from personal experience. One of the most important decisions we make every day is what we put on our plate. That said, we still have treats in our house; it’s not all kale and chickpeas – our kids wouldn’t allow it.”
:: Information on courses and recipes available at clarehegartynutrition.com
