OUDTSHOORN NEWS - A healthy snack at school plays a major role in a child’s ability to concentrate and participate at school.
The school year with its challenges started this week and nutrition plays an important role in a learner’s performance. A healthy and balanced lunch box will provide the learner with the right nutrition to sustain them through the day and support their mental and physical abilities.
All a child needs is a lunch box that contains fruit and vegetables, high fibre foods, protein, dairy, and water.
Nadia Ferreira, Principal Communications Officer of Garden Route and Central Karoo Districts Department of Health has some suggestions for a balanced lunch box:
Fruit and vegetable
Examples include carrots, raisins, apple, sweetcorn, cucumber, grapes, banana, cherry tomatoes, and berries. Always try to use what is seasonal as it will be cheaper. Make fruits and vegetables interesting by cutting it in different shapes.
Cut carrots into sticks for easy eating, sweetcorn off the cob from the previous evening’s supper, or a small fruit salad with cut pieces of fruit.
High fibre foods
Bread (remember to select the one with the highest amount of fibre), wraps, pasta, rice and crackers are all sources of high fibre.
Cut sandwiches into different shapes and add a spread with less sugar.
Baby spinach is nutritious and tastes great with a protein such as cheese or ham on a sandwich.
Wraps can be filled with avocado, cheese, ham, tuna, marmite and lettuce or baby spinach. Children can also enjoy leftover pasta from supper for a filling lunch.
Protein
Examples include ham, chicken, egg, biltong, peanut butter, and nuts. Include halved hardboiled eggs or an egg sandwich, ham slices, peanut butter or any leftover meat from supper.
A healthy and balanced lunch box will provide the learner with the right nutrition to sustain them through the day and support their mental and physical abilities.
Dairy
Examples include cheese, yoghurt and cottage cheese. A small tub of yoghurt is an easy option. Be sure to choose one with the least amount of sugar. Cheese in any form and cottage cheese as a spread on a wrap or sandwich is also great.
Water
Always remember that the cheapest and healthiest thirst quencher is clean water.
There are days when buying lunch at the tuckshop might be the best option for the day.
Help your child make healthy choices by teaching them to avoid snacks that are high in sugar, fat, salt or artificial colourants and flavours. Food should be rich in nutrients, minerals and vitamins.
General health
Make sure you support your child’s health by keeping their immunisations up to date and deworming them regularly. Take your Road to Health Booklet to the clinic if you are unsure if your child’s immunisations are up to date.
Deworming is done regularly, but should your child not have received this service within the past six months, visit your clinic or ask the school when the school nurse will visit again.
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