Barnardos Report on Poor Nutrition in Children
By Stephen Peters • 14th March • 4 min read
Barnardos highlights the urgent issue of poor childhood nutrition due to poverty, emphasising the long-term impacts on children's health, development, and future opportunities.
Recent reports from Barnardo's highlight an alarming issue: many children in poverty aren't getting the essential nutrients they need due to the high costs associated with healthy eating.
Key findings from the report:
- Children, young people and their parents want to eat healthier diets, but are struggling to do so.
- Healthy food is out of reach or out of budget for many families and young people in the UK...
- There are huge and unfair structural inequalities in the food system that make it harder for certain groups of children and families to buy, prepare and eat nutritious food.
Source: https://www.barnardos.org.uk/research/nourishing-future
The four pilars for healthy kids...
Nutrition
Key to building a healthy body
and brain.
Movement
Exercise helps
develop the brain as well as the body.
Social
Speech and social awaremess skills are developed.
Environmental
A key playground for body and mind. Stimulates exercise.
Whilst good nutrition is essential to build the body and brain. Positive social interactions, and rich environmental experiences naturally lead to children engaging in movement and exercise.
I've seen first hand over my 30 years working with children, that the issues are getting worse.
Today, many children face increased struggles and disorders compared to when we were young. This is due to a trend in reduced movement and limited exposure to social & environmental interactions.
It's this physical activity that is essential for developing strong neural connections in our brains, leading to healthier brains and bodies. By building a healthy brain with varied experiences, the child is less likely to suffer with disorders, academic struggles, anxiety or meltdowns.
Stephen Peters
Co-founder and practitioner of BrainX Movement
Stephen offers a natural, non-invasive, and drug-free approach to helping your child thrive.
Feel free to email Stephen via sp@brainxmovemen.com
How to get your kids moving
Physical activity, even simple, cost-free movements like playing in a park, dancing at home, or walking to school, dramatically boosts children's cognitive and emotional development. Studies consistently show that exercise enhances concentration, memory, mood regulation, and overall academic performance.
The good news? Movement doesn't have to cost anything. Encouraging your kids to engage in regular physical activity can act as a powerful tool, mitigating some of the negative effects of a less-than-ideal diet. This isn't a substitute for healthy eating, but it offers critical support for families facing financial hardships.
How does exercise support brain development?
We're all born with Primitive reflexes, these are involuntary movements needed in pregnancy, birth and in early developments as a baby. As we develop in to a toddler, these Primitive Reflexes get turned off in the brain as it learns and experiences different social and environmental interactions. As discussed above, these lead to movement and it's these movements that takes the brain to the next stages and 'turns off' the primitive reflexes.
If not switched off, these reflexes can lead to developmental issues, and get in the way of that child developing. Developmental issues include autism, ADHD as well your child struggling with:
- frequent meltdowns, regulating emtions;
- academically;
- socially;
- anxiety or overwhelm
- sensitivity to their environment, sounds, textures or busy environments
Exercises to turn off your child's primitive reflexes
At Brain X we're able to help a child - even if they older - by giving them key exercises to help turn off these reflexes, which in turn helps them with their struggles.
Here's an example of the type of exercises kids can do to help their brains develop...
[Example video of SP doing an exercise]
Previous thoughts
Related articles
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8 Alarming Trends Making Parenting More Challenging Than Ever
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Stephen Peters
Co-founder and practitioner of BrainX Movement
Stephen offers a natural, non-invasive, and drug-free approach to helping your child thrive.
Feel free to email Stephen via sp@brainxmovemen.com
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Key Benefits:
✅ Natural and Medication-Free
Gentle exercises, no pharmaceuticals.
✅ Scientifically Backed, Parent-Friendly
Easy-to-understand and enjoyable for children.
✅ Faster, Affordable Results
Accessible solution compared to traditional therapies.
✅ Holistic Approach
Supports emotional, academic, social, and physical development simultaneously.
See how movement can support your child and their brain development...
✅ Focus & Attention
Reduce distractions, improve learning
✅ Motor Skills & Co-ordination
Walk confidently, improve balance
✅ Emotional Regulation
Manage stress, anxiety & meltdowns
✅ Social & Sensory Comfort
Navigate interactions with ease
Introducing Seb Kane (left) and Stephen Peters (right), they help children overcome these difficulties through non-invasive, drug-free movement-based programs designed to improve.
