Food has become a political issue and health scares over what we eat are a daily occurence. Today KATE THOMPSON speaks to nutrition expert Sally Child who has just published a book on children's health...

MORE than half of what the average child eats these days constitutes junk food, according to the latest findings from nutrition experts.

Chicken nuggets, burgers, pizza, crisps and fizzy drinks have become the staple diet for a growing number of young people.

We are what we eat - and processed food lacks vitamins and minerals which can create real health problems for the future, explained nutrition expert Sally Child and author of An A-Z of Children's Health - a nutritional approach.

Experience with one of her own children has shown her what can happen to a child when the food they eat literally shapes their behaviour.

"My daughter was born with feeding problems. She was unhappy and hyperactive and would not sleep at night until she was two years old, and even then it was unreliable," Sally said.

Sally, 53, is a trained health visitor and already knew a great deal about children's health - but the problems with her daughter took her to the brink.

When she sought help from her doctor she was made to feel as if she was acting like a neurotic mother or she couldn't cope.

"My daughter's toddler years were a nightmare. She was a wrecker - she would literally rip up telephone directories.

"She was dreadful at playgroup and she found it difficult to settle at school," she said.

As her behaviour became more difficult to control Sally asked to be referred to a dietician and that was when she started to understand what was happening to her child.

"The main problem with her food was the additives and preservatives it contained. She used to like to eat ham and coleslaw as a toddler - and you would think that was perfectly okay but it is full of preservatives.

"By changing her diet, her behaviour changed and she became a much calmer child," she said.

Latterly, her daughter, who does not wish to be named in this article, has been diagnosed with dyspraxia - similar to dyslexia except that instead of confusion with language, there is an immaturity of movement.

Her experience with her daughter made her want to find out more and Sally now runs a clinical practice in nutrition. She treats young people suffering from behavioural problems, eczema and asthma as well as autism.

Her medical background as a nurse and then health visitor stood her in good stead but Sally wanted to take a more holistic approach to health problems associated with food.

"I hope that I can support and guide other distraught parents who yearn for an holistic approach to address the root causes and not be made to feel they are at fault or nothing is wrong," she said.

"I feel my experience just proves that parents feel intensely about their offspring and would go to hell and back for them. It also goes to show that positive things can result from situations that feel hopeless.

"I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing now without the experience with my daughter. Her problems taught me so much."

The paradox of the undernourished yet obese child is now with us and is set to increase over the next 20 years - the result of a diet full of fat and sugar, said Sally.

Sally claims that, for children back in the 1950s, energy derived from sugar was 15 per cent - today it is 28 per cent. Fruit and vegetables used to be the main source for vitamin C - today it comes mainly from sugary fruit juices with no fibre.

The health consequences for today's generations are alarming. Major diseases like diabetes, heart

conditions and cancer are occurring earlier. Immune systems are depressed and obesity is on the increase.

"It makes me really cross when I go out to a restaurant and see the children's menu because the food is just rubbish. Why can't they just have smaller portions of what their parents are eating?

"Children like this kind of food because they get it at home and that is the problem.

"I feel very sorry for parents. They lead such busy lives and rely on convenience foods for their children. They are doing their best for them but I don't think they realise the health problems they are creating for the future.

"A lot of mothers work now and they just don't have the time to create wonderful home-made dishes.

"It is a matter of re-educating them on how to create good, nutritious food," she said.

While training to be a health visitor Sally

discovered there were no books on children's health and nutrition - so she decided to write one.

Now Sally's book has just been published and she hopes it will help

parents and healthcare professionals alike.

An A-Z of Children's Health - a nutritional approach is published by Argyll Publishing and costs £7.99. It is available from local bookshops or from Argyll Publishing, telephone 01369 820229.