Should I prepare lunch for my child or should I just give him/her money to buy food at the canteen? A lot of parents probably ask this question especially at the start of the school year. What are the pros and cons of each choice? Here are some pros and cons for each.
Buying in school.
1. You give chance to your child to make decisions (what to eat and what not to eat)
2. You give your child the opportunity to budget his/her allowance. He learns financial management.
3. He gets the chance to interact with other people which later on he will encounter anyway. He will learn how to deal with slow service, people who are lazy, people who have difficulty taking orders, etc.
4. You do not know if what he eats is healthy.He may be eating junk food always.
5. you do not know if food handlers are always in good health. Do they undergo medical exams regularly?
Bringing home-cooked meals.
1. You know your child is eating right - or at least based on what you know is right.
2. You know he is eating enough.
3. You feel secured that he will not get disease causing germs.
4. He doesn't learn how to make decisions. You may ask him what he wants but it is still different if he is presented with limited choices.
5. He doesn't get the chance to learn how to manage his money well.
If you are going to let him buy at the school canteen teach him how to distinguish healthy dishes from junk. You cannot expect schools to prepare only healthy food because chances are they also need to sell soda, fast food type meals and chips because this is what sells. Remember, at the end of the day, the canteen is still a business that needs to earn. Also ask school officials their policy regarding the health of their food servers.
If you are going to let him bring home-cooked meals, take him when you go to the grocery and let him be part in deciding what to buy. Give him a set budget and allow him to choose what he wants based on that budget.
If you will let him bring home-cooked meals, make sure that what you will prepare for him is really healthy. If you are just going to let him bring chips or biscuits then might as well just let him buy in school.
If you do not have time to prepare meals but still want to ensure the health of your child, ask the canteen personnel if you can see their menu in advance and select food for your child. In big schools this may not be possible but in smaller schools you may a better chance at doing this.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Let Your Child Eat Breakfast Before Going to School
Go to a regular elementary classroom and ask the students if they eat breakfast before they go to school. Chances are more than half of them do not. Do you let your child eat breakfast before going to school?
School kids MUST eat breakfast before going to school. It is the MOST IMPORTANT meal of the day. Studies have shown that students who eat breakfast perform better in class - in all areas - cognitive, affective and psychomotor.
Cognitive. Students who eat breakfast are more alert then those who don't. They are able to pay attention to what the teachers are discussing. They are able to stay awake and participate in classroom activities.
Affective. Students who eat breakfast are able to relate to others better. Students who do not tend to become either grumpy or sluggish. Other students stay away from them.
Psychomotor. Students who eat breakfast have the energy to move about. They can perform tasks better than those who are sluggish.
So what must you let your child eat for breakfast. Here is a list of food that you can give them in the morning. Try to have variations so they won't lose interest.
1. Bacon. This you can serve with toast or with fried rice. You can partner it with egg. You can also make it into a sandwich with tomato and cheese.
2. Hotdogs. This you can serve with toast or with fried rice as well. An egg on the side will be great. You can also cook it like steak. Slice it into small pieces and onion slices then cook like the way you would cook steak.
3. Ham. This can be prepared similar to the two above.
4. Eggs. You can have this scrambled, boiled, sunny side-up. You mix it with slices of bacon, ham, sausage, mushrooms, cheese, bell pepper, etc.
5. Cereals. Kids love this but they'll get bored if this is what they have always. Choose different flavors. Also alternate milk with chocolate.
6. Oatmeal. Like cereals, kids love oatmeal. To make it more nutritious and healthier mix fruits like banana, apple or grapes.
7. Toast. This is good but have different spreads like jam, jelly, butter, cheese, peanut butter, etc.
8. Pancakes. For this you also need various toppings like honey, butter, jam, etc. You can also top the pancakes with other fruits for added flavor. Make sure that you prepare the pancake mix in the evening to save time.
9. Baked potato/Mash potato/Fries. This is another good source of energy. Have cheese spread, bacon bits or other toppings and side dishes.
10. Bagel, Buns, Pastries, Cakes. These are also sources of energy but only give them once in a while especially the sweet ones.
In order to convince your child that he or she needs to eat breakfast, you need to make him or her excited to eat. Do this by preparing really good breakfast. Interchange the food suggested above. Make them look forward to what they are going to have the next day. Also, make sure that they do not 'feel' pressured during breakfast time. Prepared food early so they will not feel the 'rush'. And most importantly, join them for breakfast so they would know that it is a really important meal.
School kids MUST eat breakfast before going to school. It is the MOST IMPORTANT meal of the day. Studies have shown that students who eat breakfast perform better in class - in all areas - cognitive, affective and psychomotor.
Cognitive. Students who eat breakfast are more alert then those who don't. They are able to pay attention to what the teachers are discussing. They are able to stay awake and participate in classroom activities.
Affective. Students who eat breakfast are able to relate to others better. Students who do not tend to become either grumpy or sluggish. Other students stay away from them.
Psychomotor. Students who eat breakfast have the energy to move about. They can perform tasks better than those who are sluggish.
So what must you let your child eat for breakfast. Here is a list of food that you can give them in the morning. Try to have variations so they won't lose interest.
1. Bacon. This you can serve with toast or with fried rice. You can partner it with egg. You can also make it into a sandwich with tomato and cheese.
2. Hotdogs. This you can serve with toast or with fried rice as well. An egg on the side will be great. You can also cook it like steak. Slice it into small pieces and onion slices then cook like the way you would cook steak.
3. Ham. This can be prepared similar to the two above.
4. Eggs. You can have this scrambled, boiled, sunny side-up. You mix it with slices of bacon, ham, sausage, mushrooms, cheese, bell pepper, etc.
5. Cereals. Kids love this but they'll get bored if this is what they have always. Choose different flavors. Also alternate milk with chocolate.
6. Oatmeal. Like cereals, kids love oatmeal. To make it more nutritious and healthier mix fruits like banana, apple or grapes.
7. Toast. This is good but have different spreads like jam, jelly, butter, cheese, peanut butter, etc.
8. Pancakes. For this you also need various toppings like honey, butter, jam, etc. You can also top the pancakes with other fruits for added flavor. Make sure that you prepare the pancake mix in the evening to save time.
9. Baked potato/Mash potato/Fries. This is another good source of energy. Have cheese spread, bacon bits or other toppings and side dishes.
10. Bagel, Buns, Pastries, Cakes. These are also sources of energy but only give them once in a while especially the sweet ones.
In order to convince your child that he or she needs to eat breakfast, you need to make him or her excited to eat. Do this by preparing really good breakfast. Interchange the food suggested above. Make them look forward to what they are going to have the next day. Also, make sure that they do not 'feel' pressured during breakfast time. Prepared food early so they will not feel the 'rush'. And most importantly, join them for breakfast so they would know that it is a really important meal.
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