Healthy Eating Recommendations for the School Term

Healthy Eating Recommendations During the School Year During school age, healthy, adequate and balanced nutrition supports both physical and cognitive capacity. It also facilitates children's adjustment to school life and extends their concentration span during lessons. For this reason, healthy nutrition is of great importance for children to increase their school success. Although consumption amounts and nutritional content vary by age groups, it is essential to properly regulate eating habits for school-age children to lead a healthy life. Given that a child spends most of their time at school, nutrition during school becomes a particularly important matter. At this point, school cafeterias and canteens stand out as the most frequently preferred eating venues. However, a healthy packed lunch that children can carry with them is also among the factors that will greatly facilitate adequate and balanced nutrition. In this context, it is of great importance for school administrations to offer healthy options in cafeterias and canteens, and for parents to prepare balanced packed lunches for their children.

So how is a healthy packed lunch prepared?

When preparing a packed lunch, you can promote consumption by preferring meal alternatives that are easier and more practical to eat at school. At this point, when creating a menu for the packed lunch, it is also very important to establish a balance between foods and choose foods according to the season. The foods included in the packed lunch for lunch will also affect school success.

You can add the following to packed lunches for a healthy lunch for your children:

• Whole grain pasta/bulgur pilaf/kisir, green salad and ayran • Cheese and whole grain cold sandwich, freshly prepared homemade fruit/vegetable juice • Seasonal fruit, milk, nuts • Whole grain bread, vegetables with meatball/chicken/tuna sandwich Foods in the packed lunch such as ayran, cheese, fish, meatballs, chicken that spoil quickly at room temperature should be transported in lunch boxes that can maintain hot or cold temperatures.

Snacks provide important energy support

One of the most important requirements of healthy and balanced nutrition is snacks. Due to lessons or physical activity throughout the day, energy needs increase, and this energy deficit should be met with snacks. What foods should be included in snacks? • Cheese mini sandwich prepared with whole grain bread and ayran • Fruit yogurt prepared with fresh fruits • Milk or ayran • Seasonal fruits • Dried fruits such as dried figs, dried apricots, dried plums, dried grapes • Raw vegetables such as carrots and cucumber • Fresh fruit or vegetable juice • Raw nuts such as hazelnuts and almonds

Try different presentations

For children, the type of food they eat is as important as how it is prepared and looks. Every child has a different way of preferring foods. Some enjoy crispy, hard foods while others prefer soft, juicy foods. For this reason, supporting the child to consume the foods they need to eat in the way that is most suitable for their consumption, together with foods they like, and at the level of their requirement without excess, also positively affects school success. Making differences in shape, size, color, taste and presentation allows children to perceive nutrition as fun and gives them the opportunity to finish their meals without getting bored and with enjoyment. For meals that can capture children's attention:

• A colorful salad full of vegetables cut into small cubes
• Fruits or whole grain pastries shaped with star or heart-shaped cutters
• Pasta with plenty of vegetables
• Crepes and pancakes made from various types of whole grain flour
• Homemade cakes, cookies, energy bars and other creative ideas can be preferred.

If these prepared foods are placed in containers and lunch boxes in a style that they will like (for example, in a packed lunch with a drawing of their favorite cartoon character on it), their desire to eat and maintain healthy nutrition may also increase. In this way, you can help support both your child's health and their success at school.