Two children set cycling record

by Husna Inayathullah

Michael Pollan, a nutritionist, once said, "Don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognise as food." Good nutrition and a balanced diet help children grow healthily. Disara Desandi and Kulunu Gaveshitha Nanayakara have good eating habits.

They are encouraged by their parents to take a balanced diet.

Disara Desandi and Kulunu Gaveshitha Nanayakara aged five of Carlton Preschool, Mount Lavinia cycled 191Km from Mount Lavinia to Tangalle creating a record recently. They started cycling on October 1- Children's Day.

It took six days for them to cycle from Mount Lavinia to Tangalle. Disara and Kulunu told the Junior Observer, "It was a wonderful experience. We never felt tired and cycling was interesting. We are happy that we completed the task."

Disara and Kulunu are active and sporty. Both of them have plenty of determination. They had the appropriate weight and height for their age. They have good posture and bone structure.

The two of them were pleased that they had fulfilled a feat. Disara's father Harsha Hettiarachchi, Director Operations of Kulunu Foundation and Kulunu's father, Nanayakara, founder of the Kulunu Foundation said, "Our children eat nutritious food sans preservatives.

They eat local food such as red rice, green gram, yams and potatoes. They were breastfed."

They said President Mahinda Rajapaksa and First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa, Executive Director and Principal of Carlton Preschool helped them in this endeavour.

Namal Rajapaksa MP, a past pupil of Carlton Preschool also extended his support. "We believe that every child has the ability but it is in the hands of the parents to motivate and encourage them. We must feed our children with healthy and nutritious food and should teach them healthy eating habits."

"Children are the future of our country, hence it is our responsibility to produce healthy children. This was a challenge so we motivated our children to take part in this endeavour.

"Today most children in the country suffer from obesity. It can be eradicated if we try," They said.