School lunches can teach children

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 4, Issue 33, 3 February 1987, Page 16

School lunches can teach children

It's that time of the year when parents are beginning to wonder about the control they have over their children's schooltime eating. Providing an interesting wellbalanced school lunch is one means of assuring a child will be consuming nutritious food during the hours they are away from home. Weight Watchers have long been aware that good eating habits taught in the home mean that children are made aware at an early age of the value of good

nutrition. A recent Australian study of children's dietary habits reveals some disturbing features. * 29% of children ate no fruit (another 28% had only 1 piece of fruit a day) * 24% of children ate no vegetables of any kind. * Only 33% of children drank enough milk. Further studies reveal that between 20% and 30% of New Zealand children are overweight. Studies of five year olds have shown that those who are overweight at six months weigh an average of 121b (5.4 kilos) more than children of normal weight at the same age. Further studies show that 80% of overweight babies remain overweight for the rest of their lives. Weight control in a growing child is important, and Weight Watchers advise that there are several steps a concerned parent can take to help their child stay at a healthy weight. Providing a nutritious and interesting school lunch is one way a parent can help a child grow up healthy and slim. There are three important factors to bear in mind in the preparation of a school lunch. They are: * adequate nutritional

content. * an awareness of energy needs. * the importance of allowing the child to participate in the lunch preparation. Adequate nutritional content calls for careful selection of foods so that a child will enjoy not only a nutritionally balanced meal but a visually appetising one. Make selections from fresh fruits and crisp vegetables, whole grain or raisin breads, lean meat, fish, and poultry, eggs and cheese, milk and dairy products and fats of vegetable origin. Don't buy biscuits, soft drinks and lollies. lf given the choice between an apple and a lolly most children will pick the sweet. However, if only offered the apple, most children will eat and enjoy it. Be particularly aware of the kilojoules in children's drinks. Soft drinks and juices are often a major cause of excess weight problems. Every glass of fruit juice has the same number of kilojoules as two slices of bread but the juice is not nearly as filling. Encourage children to drink more water by setting an example yourself. Weight Watchers strongly urge parents to encourage their children to play an

active part in planning a weekly lunch menu. Encourage the youngster to accompany you to the supermarkeF to assist in the purchase of the foods that will make up the school lunch. As a result, at an early age young people learn lasting lessons about good eating habits. With the child being involved there is a much better chance of the lunch being consumed rather than swapped (as is often the habit) for sweets or chocolate. Something to watch at this time of the year is the danger of foods spoiling in the summer heat. Avoid the use of egg and milk products during hotter days. lt is very important to choose foods which run no risk of spoiling while sitting unrefrigerated in a school bag while temperatures are high. Training children to understand the importance of good nutrition is not easy but it is something that parents should be aware of. T oo often a parent will buy new clothes, books and pencils but may be inclined to put less emphasis on the child's food — an ingredient that has a vital effect on performance during the school year — and a lifetime.