Eating Healthy Meals and Snacks in School

CEBU, Philippines - Kids! Within a few days, it’s school time once again. Your parents are back to the challenging task of preparing nutritious snacks for you. School snacks are important because they help supply energy for you for studying and playing.

Before, most mothers take care of their kids full time. They would personally go to the market and cook healthy meals for their children. They would wake up early and prepare breakfast and make nutritious snacks for the kids to bring to school.

Times have changed, though. Modern mothers face more challenges these days, especially the working mothers. Most moms are offered instant food alternatives like processed and junk foods. So, it is also your job to see to it that you are eating the right kinds of snacks which are healthy and right for you.

It is taught in school that meals and snacks are important during periods of high nutrition needs such as when children are rapidly growing. Children are usually unable to take enough food at main meals to meet their nutritional needs due to the small capacity of their stomachs. Therefore, nutritious meals and snacks contribute a lot to the daily energy and nutrients requirements in a child’s diet, especially for kids studying and playing. These healthy meals and snacks include sandwiches and fresh fruits in season and not just salty chips, or junk foods and sugary artificial drinks. Some examples of health snacks are low-sugar, whole-grain breakfast cereal with low-fat milk, cheese, yogurt, nuts and raisins, whole-wheat pita slices and vegetables.

A nutritious snack would also include boiled banana, cassava, camote, corn and peanuts. And instead of soft drinks or sugary juices, nutritionists recommend water, fresh juices, milk, fruit shakes and buko juice as healthier alternatives.

Since there are lots of breads available in the market with different sizes, flavors and even shapes, all you need to do is to create healthy, yummy fillers or spreads like tuna which is calcium-rich. There are also scrambled eggs and tasty ham which provides protein. Fresh vegetables also provide nutrients and minerals.

Poor snacking, or the increased intake of snack products rich in calories but lacking in vitamins and minerals, is a risk for children. There is more danger with the increasing number of “alternatives” to healthy homemade meals, such as fast foods and street food.

It is also important to note that nutrition experts advise parents—especially of school-age children—to prepare healthy snacks or “baon” at home so children would not be tempted to buy unhealthy snacks outside the home. According to studies, frequent snacks at irregular intervals also contribute to loss of appetite for regular meals. Taking these calorie-rich but nutritionally poor foods can also lead to obesity and nutrition problems.

School-age children are so busy with homework, activities, lessons, and sports, and you should understand why it’s important to eat healthy meals and snacks. (FREEMAN)