PERSUADING children to make the right choices at meal times can be hard.
And International School Meals Day this week put the focus back on kids’ nutrition.
ShutterstockPersuading children to make the right choices at meal times can be hard[/caption]
GettyAnd International School Meals Day this week put the focus back on kids’ nutrition[/caption]
The aim of school meals is to make sure kids have one good, healthy meal to support their physical and mental health.
Government guidelines say that they should include one or more portion of fruit and vegetables every day as well as one portion of starchy food, such as bread or pasta, and some milk or dairy.
Meat or poultry should be served three times a week in school dining rooms, and oily fish, like salmon, at least once every three weeks.
In England, every child is allocated a daily free school meal, regardless of household income and background, in reception, year one and year two.
And around 1.9million older children — almost a quarter of school pupils — were eligible for free school meals last year because their parents were on Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or income-related Employment and Support Allowance.
That figure is ten per cent higher than the previous year. Scotland and Wales have committed to free school meals for all primary children.
In England and Wales, free school milk — a third of a pint — is available for under-fives and to kids receiving or entitled to free school meals through The Nursery Milk Scheme (see nurserymilk.co.uk).
Under the Scottish government’s scheme, children cared for at nursery are entitled to a third of a pint of milk and a healthy snack of fruit or veg every day for free. See mygov.scot/school-meals for further information.
Specialist paediatric dietitian, Rachel Wood, who works in the NHS and heads up children’s nutritionist RW Dietetics, says a healthy lunch should include all the main food groups and not processed foods which are low in nutrition and can contribute to allergies and gut problems.
She told Sun on Sunday Health: “On a school menu, we would want to see calcium from dairy or dairy alternatives like cheese, yoghurts or milk, for bone growth. There should be carbohydrates from bread, crackers, pasta, potatoes or rice to give an energy source and keep the brain active.
“Also, there should be protein for growth from meat, fish, eggs, pulses and beans, which also contain iron for energy levels. Fruits and vegetables, containing fibre vitamins and minerals, should be a good percentage of school lunches.
“A healthy school lunch means children get all the vitamins, minerals and calories they need to concentrate, do physical activity, grow and maintain healthy relationships with food. Giving them the right foods as children provides them with a good start that enables them to make healthy choices in adulthood.”
Rachel Wood says a healthy lunch should include all the main food groups
But many children opt for a packed lunch, and a study by Leeds University found that just one in 60 of them were healthy.
After a decade of research, findings revealed in 2022 that many children were eating jam sandwiches, sausage rolls and chocolate, and frequently missing out on fruit and vegetables.
Rachel added: “If you are doing a packed lunch, it is important to get that balance.
“Children love picky food so for an idea to make it exciting, chop up fruit and cut veg and sandwiches into different shapes.”
Ideas to pack their lunch with nutrition
HERE, Rachel Wood provides a week of nutritionally-balanced, healthy school packed lunches for children aged five to ten. Portions can be increased for older kids.
Rachel says: “These ideas can be varied according to affordability. A lunchbox with sections can make healthy options eye-catching and exciting for children.”
GettyA bagel with cherry tomatoes alongside soft cheese sliced into quarters is delicious[/caption]
GettyTry a boiled egg cut in half on a Wednesday along with your hummus with pitta bread[/caption]
MONDAY
CHEESE and ham sandwich, cherry tomatoes, cucumber sticks, blueberries and apple cut up into slices and a handful of popcorn.
TUESDAY
ROAST chicken, shredded, in a wrap with salad and sliced into bite-sized chunks. Babybel or cheese cubes, sweet pepper sliced up, halved strawberries and a small yoghurt.
WEDNESDAY
HUMMUS with sliced-up pitta bread, carrot sticks and cucumber sticks. Boiled egg cut in half, orange slices, grapes halved, a handful of pretzels.
THURSDAY
BAGEL with soft cheese sliced into quarters, chicken or ham slices rolled up, cherry tomatoes, banana cut in half with skin on, apple slices, handful of raisins.
FRIDAY
TUNA and sweetcorn sandwich cut into triangles, cucumber and carrot sticks, Ritz crackers or breadsticks, cheese cubes, blueberries and sliced apple and a small yoghurt.
GettyTry cheese cubes alongside blueberries and sliced apple and a small yoghurt[/caption]
For further information go to nutrition.org.uk/life-stages/children. Read More