Back to school: Healthy foods for kids
Sep 12, 2006
NEXT week, children are going back to school. So it is time to shop for their necessities. Usually, prominent on children’s shopping lists are foodstuffs to supplement their meals at school. However, do not just buy foodstuffs the kids ask for. Consider how healthy they are.
By Louis Mwije and Thomas Pere
NEXT week, children are going back to school. So it is time to shop for their necessities. Usually, prominent on children’s shopping lists are foodstuffs to supplement their meals at school. However, do not just buy foodstuffs the kids ask for. Consider how healthy they are.
According to Nutrition Guide, published by Dr Dickson Mujoma, a local nutritionist, parents should teach the children the importance of good nutrition and what it constitutes.
Dr Hanifa Bachou, a nutritionist at Mwanamugimu Nutrition unit at Mulago Hospital, notes that while food choices depend on the socio-economic status of the family, there are guidelines that parents can follow in deciding what to add to their menu.
Fruits
Bachou says all children need fruits. He says they are good sources of important vitamins like A and C and have minerals such as potassium and fibre, which help in digestion.
Food Matters, an Australian newsletter for families, concurs with Bachou in their Spring edition of 2005. “Fruit and vegetables make an important contribution to the health, growth and development of children,†says the newsletter. “They are a good source of carbohydrate and their vitamins and minerals decrease the risk of diseases such as cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, obesity and diabetes in adulthood.â€
A survey done by the New Vision earlier this year on feeding in schools, showed that schools do not provide fruits as a consistent item on the menu. Bachou advises that if schools cannot provide fruits at least thrice a week, parents or guardians who can afford them should buy them.
Food Matters advises one to go for real fruit rather than juices. “A fresh piece of fruit also provides fibre and chewing assists in jaw development,†says the newsletter.
Nutrients
Mujoma says parents should give priority to whole grain foods like maize, bread, ground nuts, soy, and simsim. He says the foods contain calcium, which is important for growing bones and that foods high in complex carbohydrates are the body’s favourite fuel, giving your child the energy to play, pay attention in school, and do many other activities,†he writes.
“Grains also provide other important nutrients such as vitamin B-complex (folate), which helps your child’s body use the protein needed to build muscle.â€
Bachou also says milk is a very important source of calcium for children who are still growing. “In case it is not there, you can substitute it with roasted simsim or paste –– these also contain lots of calcium and are affordable. For additional minerals and carbohydrates, millet flour (busera) can do.â€
Children need a good heavy breakfast which, Mujoma says, should include a cup of milk or equivalent milk products for a good start.
Food Matters says proteins from meat, fish, beans, and nuts help a child’s body to maintain and repair body tissues and build muscle. These foods also provide vitamin B-complex and iron, which help build strong bones and teeth.
But above all, Bachou says, a school meal should include water. Children are more vulnerable to effects of dehydration than adults. According to Mujoma, this is because children have a lower capacity for sweating and overheat faster than adults.
Bachou says people should take water rather than soda and quencher because the sugars in such drinks are not nutritious for the body. She advises parents to pack drinking water for their children.
Safety
Many nursery students pack sweets, candy and biscuits for a mid-morning meal and this is not healthy.
Food Matters advises that although such sugars are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream to give a child a quick dose of energy, they should be limited because the body stores the extra sugar it does not immediately need as fat. This can lead to weight gain and other health problems.
Mujoma says although sweet food stuffs and sugary snacks contain calories, they have few or no essential nutrients, yet they expose the child to teeth cavities. “If you have to provide these, make sure the child brushes regularly with fluoride toothpaste,†he says. “But the best solution is to replace them with healthy snacks — fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Infants should not drink raw (unpasteurised) milk or any products made from unpasteurised milk, raw or partially cooked foods.
Durability
Parents should avoid packing foods that easily go bad even for day scholars –– foods like chicken and very ripe fruits,
Bachou says dry foods with less water are appropriate. And for those who make fruit salad, it needs to be eaten early enough because of its easy spoilage. All foods packed for school should be packed in a way as to avoid contamination.
Generally, cooked food should be avoided, since it easily gets contaminated by salmonella bacteria due to the excess water it contains.
Relevance
For boarding schools parents, should first ascertain what foods children are usually given at the school so that they can include essential foods that the school does not provide.
“Look at foods which can enhance their growth. These are foods like roasted groundnuts, simsim or groundnut paste, brown sugar, powdered or UHT milk,†Bachou says.
NEXT week, children are going back to school. So it is time to shop for their necessities. Usually, prominent on children’s shopping lists are foodstuffs to supplement their meals at school. However, do not just buy foodstuffs the kids ask for. Consider how healthy they are.
According to Nutrition Guide, published by Dr Dickson Mujoma, a local nutritionist, parents should teach the children the importance of good nutrition and what it constitutes.
Dr Hanifa Bachou, a nutritionist at Mwanamugimu Nutrition unit at Mulago Hospital, notes that while food choices depend on the socio-economic status of the family, there are guidelines that parents can follow in deciding what to add to their menu.
Fruits
Bachou says all children need fruits. He says they are good sources of important vitamins like A and C and have minerals such as potassium and fibre, which help in digestion.
Food Matters, an Australian newsletter for families, concurs with Bachou in their Spring edition of 2005. “Fruit and vegetables make an important contribution to the health, growth and development of children,†says the newsletter. “They are a good source of carbohydrate and their vitamins and minerals decrease the risk of diseases such as cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, obesity and diabetes in adulthood.â€
A survey done by the New Vision earlier this year on feeding in schools, showed that schools do not provide fruits as a consistent item on the menu. Bachou advises that if schools cannot provide fruits at least thrice a week, parents or guardians who can afford them should buy them.
Food Matters advises one to go for real fruit rather than juices. “A fresh piece of fruit also provides fibre and chewing assists in jaw development,†says the newsletter.
Nutrients
Mujoma says parents should give priority to whole grain foods like maize, bread, ground nuts, soy, and simsim. He says the foods contain calcium, which is important for growing bones and that foods high in complex carbohydrates are the body’s favourite fuel, giving your child the energy to play, pay attention in school, and do many other activities,†he writes.
“Grains also provide other important nutrients such as vitamin B-complex (folate), which helps your child’s body use the protein needed to build muscle.â€
Bachou also says milk is a very important source of calcium for children who are still growing. “In case it is not there, you can substitute it with roasted simsim or paste –– these also contain lots of calcium and are affordable. For additional minerals and carbohydrates, millet flour (busera) can do.â€
Children need a good heavy breakfast which, Mujoma says, should include a cup of milk or equivalent milk products for a good start.
Food Matters says proteins from meat, fish, beans, and nuts help a child’s body to maintain and repair body tissues and build muscle. These foods also provide vitamin B-complex and iron, which help build strong bones and teeth.
But above all, Bachou says, a school meal should include water. Children are more vulnerable to effects of dehydration than adults. According to Mujoma, this is because children have a lower capacity for sweating and overheat faster than adults.
Bachou says people should take water rather than soda and quencher because the sugars in such drinks are not nutritious for the body. She advises parents to pack drinking water for their children.
Safety
Many nursery students pack sweets, candy and biscuits for a mid-morning meal and this is not healthy.
Food Matters advises that although such sugars are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream to give a child a quick dose of energy, they should be limited because the body stores the extra sugar it does not immediately need as fat. This can lead to weight gain and other health problems.
Mujoma says although sweet food stuffs and sugary snacks contain calories, they have few or no essential nutrients, yet they expose the child to teeth cavities. “If you have to provide these, make sure the child brushes regularly with fluoride toothpaste,†he says. “But the best solution is to replace them with healthy snacks — fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Infants should not drink raw (unpasteurised) milk or any products made from unpasteurised milk, raw or partially cooked foods.
Durability
Parents should avoid packing foods that easily go bad even for day scholars –– foods like chicken and very ripe fruits,
Bachou says dry foods with less water are appropriate. And for those who make fruit salad, it needs to be eaten early enough because of its easy spoilage. All foods packed for school should be packed in a way as to avoid contamination.
Generally, cooked food should be avoided, since it easily gets contaminated by salmonella bacteria due to the excess water it contains.
Relevance
For boarding schools parents, should first ascertain what foods children are usually given at the school so that they can include essential foods that the school does not provide.
“Look at foods which can enhance their growth. These are foods like roasted groundnuts, simsim or groundnut paste, brown sugar, powdered or UHT milk,†Bachou says.