Every day sandwiches, a fruit, yoghurt, juice, crisps and biscuits are the order of the day in most children’s lunch packs. With schools just starting for second term, perhaps it’s about time parents considered what the best food for school lunch packs is.
According to Daisy at Cinderella Pre-School in Broadhurst it is common to find that kind of food in most lunch packs. She admits that they do not particularly look into the lunch packs, but that is what they have found to be the norm.
“A few will bring motogo (soft porridge) and at times rice, spaghetti or macaroni depending on their nationality. We do not provide any meals at all,” she said. Like most private schools it is upon the parents to make sure their children have a packed meal when going to school. Daisy who discloses having landed in trouble for commenting once to a parent that chicken nuggets were not exactly healthy food for a child, received a tongue lashing that put her off making it her business.
“Of course we advice parents when they first come here on what they could pack for lunch, but we will always tell them to look at their child and consider their pocket,” she added.
According to a Dietician and International Nutritionist, Boitshepo Giyose it is always advisable to pack considerable amounts of proteins, carbohydrates and some type of fruit. “If it’s a sandwich, use whole-wheat bread which is good for digestion,” she said.
Giyose said if anything, parents should avoid using processed meat such as polony (a common feature in most sandwiches), which can cause side effects and affect child development. Her advice is to make sandwiches like egg, peanut butter, ham or sliced corned beef, tomato and lettuce.
Yoghurt is a plus as well as milk that provides calcium. “Encourage your child to drink lots of water and pack pure fruit juice and avoid fizzy drinks that can be corrosive to children’s teeth and have high sugar content,” she said.
She said some parents do not read labels and thus are not aware of contents such as ‘added sugar’ and preservatives, adding that she does not want to pressurize parents to spend beyond what they can afford. She said good old diluted Oros is far better than the new products in store.
Giyose advises parents to add a variety of fruits and alternate them. She adds that once in a while one can add traditional fruits such as morula that has lots of Vitamin C.
For snacks, Giyose said instead of providing the usual chips and peanuts perhaps the alternative could be dried fruit such as peaches, prunes with high fibre, vitamins and minerals. As for packing a cooked meal, her only worry is how to keep food fresh throughout the day especially in summer.
“By all means, avoid fatty foods such as fried chips, russians - those are a no no!” she said.
With winter around the corner and appetites going up, Giyose said peanuts and cheese add extra calories.
