What not to eat in the School Cafeteria

Worrying what goes into your child’s mouth must rate very highly on the endless spectrum of parents concerns. Considering your child spends probably 80% of his day at school, the school cafeteria becomes a reason for many sleepless nights.

How do we get past this and encourage our kids to make healthier choices when deciding on what grub to buy?

While some of these may seem obvious, it is always worth reminding ourselves and our kids exactly why they should avoid certain foods.

• Fried and Fatty Foods. These are foods such as french fries, chicken nuggets and fish sticks. While many kids can’t resist these foods, they are high in saturated fats. These raise the bad cholesterol in the blood and lower the good cholesterol. This can be extremely harmful and lead to obesity.
• Foods such as cakes, doughnuts and fruit juice are extremely high in sugar and should be avoided. Besides the much talked about “sugar rush”, there is no nutritional value in these choices whatsoever. Replace with healthier options such as fresh fruit, health bars and nuts.
• Sauces and “extras”. Choices such as mayonnaise on sandwiches are very high in saturated fats. Opt for a healthier alternative such as mustard. Also choose low fat cheeses instead of full fat. Brown bread instead of white makes a huge difference, especially if your kid is a sandwich fan.
• All in moderation. Kids will be kids and of course they cannot be “starved” of all things yummy all the time. When they simply have to eat junk food, make sure it doesn’t happen too often. Suggest ice-cream instead of extreme sugary treats such as lollipops and candy. It is also a good idea to supplement certain foods with healthier choices such as frozen yoghurt instead of ice cream.
• Plan ahead. Perhaps it is also a good idea to sit down with your kids and plan the week’s menu. Discuss what they are going to buy at the cafeteria on which days. This will rule out any rash decisions and impulse buying.

Hopefully, based on the above considerations, we will be more knowledgeable on what is nutritious and harmful when it comes to what our kids pop into their mouths.