SCHOOL PLAY LUNCH.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5446, 10 July 1929, Page 2

SCHOOL PLAY LUNCH.

A PERNICIOUS HABIT. DEPARTMENT'S WARNING. The Department of Health calls the attention of parents and teachers to a pernicious habit which prevails nowadays, even in the State schools, of children indulging, during playhour, in what is commonly called “play lunch.” As this is very damaging to the health of the children the department strongly urges parents not to provide it, and also urges teachers to use their influence in denouncing the bad habit.

If a child has a reasonable breakfast, as all children should before proceeding to school, not only is there no necessity for more food until the midday meal, but the habit of taking food between breakfast and lunch is decidedly harmful. Where possible the mid-day meal should, in the case of children, be the principal meal of the day. Where this is not feasible and children have to take their lunch to school the attention of parents should be drawn to the leaflet issued by the department on “School Lunch.” In such cases it is very important to ensure that they do not indulge their natural tendency to eat a part, or even' most, of it at the first opportunity—usually in the mid-morning playtime. The habit of eating between meals cannot be too strongly condemned—of course, this does not apply to children only. The principle of allowing the stomach time to complete its work on each meal before more food is taken should be the rule for all children, and is of special importance in the case of any child whose health is below par and whose digestive power is consequently impaired. The old maxim “little and often” is quite a mistake, whether children are well or ill. As modern scientific research is proving that many present-day diseases are caused by wrong diet and dietetic habits, the department wishes to bring this fact before parents so that theii’ children may be shielded from much of the pain, ill-health, and actual disease now seriously affecting the rising generation.