Maintain good nutrition

A child who does not eat breakfast may absorb up to seven times more lead than a child who has eaten, as children absorb less lead when they have a tummy full of healthy food. Make sure your child never skips breakfast and keep healthy snacks on hand such as raisin toast, low fat milk, yoghurt or rice crackers.

It's also important to maintain a diet high in fibre, as this will help reduce lead absorption. Fruit, vegetables, bran-based cereals and wholegrain breads and pastas all provide different sources of fibre. Remember, variety is the key!

• Eat plenty of vegetables every day
• Eat 2 serves of fruit every day, such as

An apple for morning tea

Fruit on your breakfast cereal

Fruit salad dessert

• Eat wholegrain or wholemeal bread
• Choose a high fibre breakfast cereal (ie. rolled oats, wheat biscuits or bran)
• Leave the skins on fruit and vegetables whenever possible.

 And remember, wash all fruit and vegetables before eating.

Try to limit foods that are high in fat as they increase the absorption of lead.

Fats are found in three forms in the diet:

• ADDED FATS - butter, margarine, oil, cream, salad dressings etc.
• VISIBLE FATS - found on red meat, chicken skin
• HIDDEN FATS - takeaway foods, full fat dairy products (milk, cheese), nuts, cakes, biscuits, chocolates etc.

It's easy to limit the amount of fat in your diet. Try choosing low fat varieties of milk and cheese, choose lean meat, skinless chicken or fish and always trim visible fat and skin from meat and chicken. Instead of frying, try steaming, grilling or microwaving food instead. And of course, avoid deep-fried and takeaway foods as well as heavily processed meats and smallgoods like fritz or salami.

A low intake of iron and/or calcium in the diet can contribute to increased lead absorption.

The iron in animal products (such as red meats, chicken, fish) is absorbed better by your body than iron in plant foods (such as cereals, breads, vegetables and lentils). You should aim to have 1 serve (120-150 grams, or approximately the size of the palm of your hand) of lean meat everyday. Iron absorption can be increased by eating vitamin C at the same meal. Fruit and vegetables are excellent sources of vitamin C, so try and eat some with every meal.

Dairy foods such as milk, cheese and yoghurt are good sources of calcium. Calcium is a particularly important nutrient for people with elevated lead levels because a diet low in calcium can increase lead absorption. You should try to eat 2-3 serves of dairy every day.

1 serve of calcium equals 1 cup of milk (250ml), 1 small tub of yoghurt (200g) or 2 slices of cheese. Low fat dairy foods are appropriate for children above the age of 2 years.

Drinking plenty of water is vital for any healthy diet, so make a habit of choosing water as your main drink. Avoid drinking cordial, iced coffees, juice or soft drinks on a regular basis as they are high in sugar. Drinking Port Pirie rainwater is not recommended, so go to the tap or drink bottled water. And remember, boiling does not remove lead.