ARRANGING A LUNCH for your little student can often involve more pondering than packing: “What should I include?” you might ask yourself. “And how much?”
“One of the most shocking statistics I’ve come across is that today’s child will have a shorter life expectancy then his parents due to the epidemic of obesity,” says Leslie Beck, a leading Canadian authority on nutrition and the author of Healthy Eating for Preteens and Teens.
“We are more nutrition conscious than we ever used to be, but at the same time we also live in a world where we have never had so much variety of packaged processed food.
Parents are busy, and so more convenient meals come into play.”
Having operated a private nutrition clinic in downtown Toronto for more than 20 years, she has helped numerous local parents develop healthy eating plans for their youngsters that are not only more nutritious, but simplified for today’s overscheduled parent.
“The most common error I see is that parents tend to overpack lunches,” she says “They worry so much that the child’s not going to eat, so they overpack the quantity with lots of snacks and treats. The problem is that the kids fixate on the snacks but leave the sandwich and the healthy stuff as the last choice, and it ends up coming home at the end of the day.”
Beck says an ideal lunch should include reasonable portions of three key components: some kind of grain, such as whole wheat crackers or pasta; a protein; and a dairy product such as milk or yogourt. She adds that fruits and vegetables should always be integrated into the meals.
“There’s nothing wrong with packing finger foods,” she says. “Half a sandwich and some whole grain crackers and cheese or hummus. Or forget about sandwiches, try baked chicken strips or mini burritos.”
Julie Axford, Aramark food services manager at Bayview Glen Independent School, employs the same healthy and creative attitude when preparing the students’ weekly menu, which she builds around suggestions from “Canada’s Food Guide.”
She emphasizes the importance of involving young people in the menu-making process.
“The students suggested breakfast for lunch at one of our meetings.We were able to find whole wheat waffle sticks.They were a big hit. They also wanted pizza, and so we now offer pizza with a whole wheat crust and fresh veggie toppings.
“When they are being served, we encourage them to take up their vegetables and fruit, and the teachers do the same and talk about nutrition as they’re eating.”
Richard Gosling, founder and president of the Toronto Breakfast Club program says this interactive, community-style dining experience can produce healthy eaters organically.
“If kids are talking, having fun and being engaged, oftentimes they won’t even notice what they’re eating. They’ll just eat.” With that logic in mind, he encourages occasional meal gatherings between local parents and their youngsters, mimicking the school dining environment.
Alyssa Rolnick, registered dietician and nutrition columnist for the Heart and Stroke Foundation, knows, as a busy mother of two, that restaurant dining and fast-food purchases are bound to occur.
“It’s all about planning,” she says. “If you know you’re probably going to take your kids out for fast food for dinner, try to provide them with two highly nutritious meals for lunch and breakfast. Many fast-food restaurants are starting to offer things like apple slices and salads,” she adds. “But if they don’t, go ahead and bring along a small bag of fruit and vegetables.”
“Number one is that parents need to model their behaviour so that their kids see them making healthy choices,” adds Leslie Beck. “That has to start immediately.”
