Should I Worry About My Child's School Dinners?
Many parents worry about what their children are eating at school believing quite rightly that a good meal at lunchtime will help their children concentrate and contribute to a balanced diet.
Thankfully, after the public exposé of ‘turkey twizzlers’ and the like by TV chef Jamie Oliver, junk food is on fewer school menus. But how can parents be sure their children are getting a decent meal at lunchtime?
Perhaps it’s best not to get too worked up about it, because children eat the vast majority of their meals at home. However, there are a few things parents can try to help their children eat as well as possible at school.
Look at the Menu Together
Find out about the school dinners on offer. Many schools publish menus on their websites or send them home with the lunch bills. Chat about the menus together:- What do they like about school dinners? What don’t they like?
- What would they choose on a particular day and why?
Some schools ask children to order in advance. With younger children, it’s an opportunity to have some input, although it’s best to let them have the final say. For older children, it’s a chance to let them take some responsibility and they may well rise to the challenge by choosing sensibly – particularly if there’s a good example set at home.
If the school operates a cafeteria system, don’t make children promise not to eat chips or insist that they take a salad for example. It’s bound to backfire. Parents are more likely to succeed by staying cool and letting the children make their own decisions.
What if They’re Not Eating Anything?
If parents suspect that a child isn’t eating anything at all at lunchtime, try to find out why. If there’s something putting them off – like food fights, an unfriendly lunchtime supervisor or a bully in the queue, perhaps something can be done to help.If they just don’t like the food, see if they can take a packed lunch instead. If this isn’t an option and they eat well at other times, don’t panic and make sure they eat a good breakfast and a healthy snack when they get home.
If the Menu is Bad
If the food at school is really poor – with no healthy choices for example – parents might want to approach the school or the local education authority and press for improvements. It’s a fairly hot topic at the moment and there are plenty of resources out there to help with a campaign.Packed Lunches
A packed lunch can solve the problem for children who hate school meals. It also enables parents to monitor what their children are given. Avoid putting crisps and chocolate in every day – some schools make this easier by banning such snacks. Ideas for healthy lunchboxes include:- a sandwich, samosa or filled pitta
- a slice of homemade pizza
- a salad of pasta, tuna and sweetcorn
- soup in a vacuum flask
- fresh or dried fruit
- raw vegetables like carrot sticks or cherry tomatoes
- a yoghurt or a piece of cheese
- nuts (if they’re allowed at school), breadsticks and crackers
- scones or fruit breads
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