Nutrition
Children's packed lunches "lack fruit and veg"
October 2011
The School Food Trust, which examined 3,500 packed lunches in England in 2009, says about 40% of lunchboxes do not contain any fruit or vegetables, compared with 10% of school dinners.
It said parents should consider switching to school meals. Meanwhile, the World Cancer Research Fund has set up a website to give parents advice on healthier lunchboxes. It says the same sort of changes as those made when TV chef Jamie Oliver championed school dinners are now needed. It wants parents to ensure their children's packed lunches always contain at least two portions of fruits and vegetables.
WCRF head of education Kate Mendoza said: "There is no doubt Jamie Oliver helped achieve great things for the food served in school canteens. But as the nutritional content of school canteen meals has improved, the healthiness of the content of lunchboxes has been left behind.
Patricia Mucavele, research and nutrition manager at the School Food Trust commented, "it is disappointing that children are going to school with lunchboxes that are not playing their part in helping to encourage the kind of healthy diet that is so important for their future. This is why we want to get across the message to parents that including a piece of fruit or using a portion of salad as a filling for a sandwich are positive things they can do for their children's health. She continued, "it can sometimes be difficult for parents to control what their children eat, particularly if they are passing shops on the way home from school or visiting their friends. But parents can influence what is in their packed lunches and the fact that not all of them are doing so is a missed opportunity."
She said they were aiming to advise parents about healthy options - rather than telling them what not to put in as has happened in the past.
HEALTHY LUNCH OPTIONS
- Butternut squash soup with wholegrain bread
- Cous cous with roasted vegetables and chickpeas
- Wholegrain pasta salad with tomatoes, green beans and sweetcorn in green pesto sauce
- Low-fat cream cheese on wholegrain cracker with grapes
- Carrot and cucumber sticks
- Dried fruits
The trust's 2009 Primary School Food Survey, included an in-depth look at the contents of almost 3,500 packed lunches across 135 schools in England.
A Healthy Diet = Happy Children
May 2011
Although their growth is slower than in infancy, school-aged children still have high nutritional needs but fairly small appetites. So it's crucial all meals and snacks continue to be rich in nutrients and energy. The food choices children make during the crucial years of development can influence their future health risk and can also influence food habits in later life.
A structured eating plan with regular meals and snacks is important to establish good eating habits. Ensure there's also plenty of variety - burgers and chips are fine occasionally, but not for every meal.
A limited number of foods makes it difficult to obtain the full range of nutrients. Make sure your child has a range of foods based on each of the main food groups.
Energy
School children still have a high energy requirement for growth and activity, but increasing numbers are becoming overweight. This is because they’re eating too many calories and not being active enough to use up the extra energy they’ve eaten.
If you think your child is putting on too much weight, don't make a big issue of it. Instead, encourage physical activity in whatever form (football, netball, walking the dog, cycling, swimming and so on).
Base meals and snacks on the five main food groups, but limit fatty and sugary snacks.
An overweight child still needs a nutrient-packed diet that provides all the essential building blocks for growth and development. Encouraging healthy eating should ensure children maintain a healthy weight. Make sure the whole family is eating healthily to provide good role models.
Calcium
This mineral is important for healthy bone development. Good sources include dairy products such as milk, cheese, yoghurt and fromage frais, as well as fortified orange juice, green leafy vegetables, cereals, sesame seeds and tofu.
Your child should ideally aim for three servings of calcium-rich food a day - for example, a 150ml glass of milk, a small pot of yoghurt and a small matchbox-sized piece of cheese.
Folate
This vitamin is important for growth, but intake is low in some children, especially those who skip breakfast because fortified cereals are a good source of folate. Other sources include bread, green leafy vegetables and pulses.
Iron
This mineral helps to keep red blood cells healthy. Insufficient iron intake can lead to iron-deficiency anaemia, but this is much less common in primary school–aged children than their younger and older siblings.
Good sources of iron include red meat, liver, fortified breakfast cereals, beans and pulses.
To help absorb the iron more effectively from non-meat sources, combine it with vitamin C-rich foods such as citrus fruits and fruit juice.
Fatty and sugary foods
This group includes spreading fats (such as butter), cooking oils, sugar, biscuits, cakes, crisps, sweets, cream and ice cream, chocolate and sugary drinks. These foods shouldn't be eaten too often and, when they are, should only be consumed in small amounts.
They're loaded with calories, fat and sugar, and don't necessarily contain many vitamins and minerals. Also, sugary foods and drinks (including fruit juice) can increase the risk of dental decay.
Limit the amount of sugar and sweets eaten, and offer them at the end of meals, rather than in-between.
Some sugar-free or diet drinks can also cause decay because of their acidity. Milk or water is the best drink between meals.
Nutrition For Children
September 2010
RGN. RM. RHV.
What we feed our children plays a huge role in their health and mental agility and can set dietary patterns for life. Spending some time and focus on nourishing our children properly is one of the greatest contributions we can make towards their healthy development on all levels.
The last fifty years has seen a dramatic decline in the quality of our nutrition and that includes the diets of children. Studies have shown that children eat twice as much sugar than previously with lower fibre intake and consuming more process foods which contain less minerals and vitamins and more sugar, salts, saturated fat and additives. A whole food diet rich in organic fruit, vegetables, grains, pulses and beans are higher in nutrients and more able to support the immune system, healthy brain function and emotional development.
Essential Fatty Acids
Saturated fats are a common ingredient in processed foods for example chips, crisps, processed meals, cakes, biscuits etc. The fats in these foods can block the absorption of the right type of fats so needed for many systems in the body, especially the Brain.
The role of good fats or essential fatty acids (E.F.A.) play a crucial role in brain development and function and the intake of these fats can be generally low. The two main groups of E.F.A’s are Omega 3 and Omega 6. There have been many studies undertaken on the link between E.F.A’s, intake and brain function. These studies concluded that children who had a diet rich in these fats show an improvement in concentration, focus and behaviour.
Another important aspect of E.F.A’s is that they are converted to Prostaglandins, with the help of certain minerals and vitamins. Prostaglandins are needed for the healthy function of the immune system and assists in the reduction of the inflammatory response in allergies and sensitivities.
Foods that are rich in these E.F.A’s are: Flaxseeds (Linseeds), Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds and Sesame Seeds. These can be ground in a coffee grinder. Use one measure of Pumpkin, Sunflower and Sesame Seeds to three measures of Flaxseeds and use daily on cereals, salads, soups etc. It is ideal to have oily fish if possible from un-polluted waters, two to three times a week as this will greatly help the intake of this essential fatty acid. If your child is not keen on fish then a supplement can be given. I would recommend Cytoplan’s lemon flavoured fish oil formulated for children. www.cytoplan.co.uk
Wheat
A number of children react to this grain more than any other. Wheat is high in gluten which is a sticky protein. This protein is difficult to digest especially if introduced too early in life. If there is sensitivity to wheat this can cause inflammation and irritation in the gut. The protein is then only partially digested which can be absorbed setting up sensitivities and even allergies.
Alternatives to wheat are gluten free grains such as rice, buckwheat, millet, corn and quinoa mostly obtained from health food stores. Gluten free breads are available from supermarkets, for example rice and corn breads. There are a variety of wheat free pastas, Orgram being one particular brand which tastes and cooks well.
Dairy
Dairy also has a protein, casein that can be difficult to digest. As with wheat, if introduced too early it can result in food intolerances’ and allergies, where the partially digested protein becomes absorbed, gaining entry into the body. Like wheat, it can cause not only sensitivities but behavioural issues and an inability to concentrate.
There are a variety of milk alternatives such as rice milk, oat milk, almond milk, hazelnut milk etc. All of these can be obtained from health food stores and some supermarkets.
Food Sensitivities
Symptoms of food (and environmental) sensitivities can be varied. Symptoms can include dark rings under the eyes, frequent colds, excessive mucus, sore throats, earache, skin rashes, diarrhoea and wind, asthma and eczema. Mental symptoms can range from hyperactivity to poor concentration and behavioural issues.
Dairy and wheat are common food intolerances. Also food additives, caffeine, sugar, peanuts, eggs, bananas, oats, soya, shellfish as well as detergents, cleaning fluids, air fresheners, can all cause problems.
Children will respond rapidly once the offending food or chemical is removed. Try removing the food or the environmental allergen you feel is an issue for one month. The improvement you can find is relief of their symptoms, improvement of their sleep and energy, ability to concentrate and improved behaviour
This is where Homeopathy can play an important part in supporting your child’s immune system while they go through the process..
Caffeine
Caffeine is a potent stimulant which can over stimulate the adrenals. It also depletes the body of certain nutrients as well as Prostaglandins, an important chemical for the immune system. Caffeine is not only found in coffee but in tea, chocolate drinks, fizzy drinks like cola. Fizzy and sugared drinks can be exchanged for natural fruit juices (with no additives or sugar). Fresh juices are even better.
As our bodies are made up of 70% water, it is therefore essential to life and most of us do not drink enough. Water mixed 50/50 with fresh juice is good but Children also need drinks of pure water too. Pure vegetable juices are also excellent diluted with water. Clear water not only helps keep our gut working smoothly, it also helps with concentration and mental agility.
Use bottled water, or filtered tap water. Better still is natural spring water if you are lucky to have a spring near you eg. Hascombe fountain near Godalming. This natural spring is checked at regular intervals by Waverly Council.
Healthy Ideas for Packed Lunches
Rice and tuna salad with chives, rocket and pine kernals.
Wholemeal pittas with goats cheese, tomatoes, cucumber and a green leaf vegetable eg watercress, rocket, spinach.
Non wheat pasta, sunflower seeds, pine kernals, tomatoes, sweetcorn, green peppers, carrots with fresh basil or thyme or sage.
Corn wrap with houmous, avocado, beetroot and spinach
Rice bread sandwich with chicken and mixed salad.
Try growing some simple herbs that you can use for lunches. e.g. Thyme, Chives, Rocket, Sage, Parsley, Tree spinach etc. Children will enjoy being involved and watching them grow.
Other items to add to the lunchbox would be seasonal organic fruit eg grapes, bananas, blueberries, mango. Nut and seed bars with no added sugar or home made flapjacks. Village bakery does a reasonable fruit bar sweetened with fruit sugar.
Final Note
We have become very hygiene obsessed. It is a good idea for children to be exposed to germs to build up a natural immunity to germs in their general environment. Ensure they have plenty of exercise outside where they have chance to let off steam and to be in the sun and connect with the earth. A happy child means a happy immune system.