Even when there was no food sold at all in our children’s school, we found that teachers were rewarding good behaviour with candy and feeding children sweet snacks between meals. We also learned that children who were sent healthy lunches from home were getting unhealthy foods from peers or teachers and that teachers were even confusing children as to the nutritional value of certain foods.

I had one teacher who banned all chocolate flavoured foods from her classroom because she wanted to teach her students that chocolate is unhealthy. Of course, we know that chocolate actually contains healthy antioxidants. And I had also remarked that the teacher was allowing other, less healthy foods in her classroom while banning a chocolate pudding whose nutrition label proved it was (slightly) healthier than the butterscotch pudding that was permitted.

This was in a school that believed itself to be well informed on nutrition and that had access to licensed dietitians and nurses to provide nutritional counselling. Most teachers – especially those who thought to preach to parents – were teaching students bad eating habits in some way.

It’s important not just to look at what’s on the official menu, but to look at how teachers speak about nutrition in class and whether they use sugary foods as rewards. It’s all too common these days, and teachers tend not to inform parents or ask for consent before giving our children food.

It is a concrete fact that children must be given good foods at school because children are the future of any country and the support of parents.
You’re sitting in class and your stomach is starting to rumble. Finally, the bell rings and it’s time for lunch — woo-hoo! After all that time in class, you deserve a chance to head to the cafeteria and sit down, relax, and enjoy the company of your friends over a lunchtime meal.

What is your favorite fruit to eat with lunch?
Banana
Apple
Pear
Strawberries
Grapes
Orange
Other:

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But wait a minute — what exactly are you eating?

More than at other meals, kids have a lot of control over what they eat for lunch at school. A kid can choose to eat the green beans or throw them out. A kid also can choose to eat an apple instead of an ice cream sandwich.

When choosing what to eat for lunch, making a healthy choice is really important. Here’s why: Eating a variety of healthy foods gives you energy to do stuff, helps you grow the way you should, and can even keep you from getting sick.

Think of your school lunch as the fuel you put in your tank. If you choose the wrong kind of fuel, you might run out of energy before the day is over.

So what is the right kind of fuel? What does a healthy lunch look like? Unlike that killer question on your math test, there are many right answers to these questions.

It’s a lunch just for you. If your favorite sandwich is peanut butter and banana, just make it and pack it — then you can eat it for lunch. Or maybe you love olives. Go ahead and pack them!

If you want to pack your lunch, you’ll need some help from your parents. Talk to them about what you like to eat in your lunch so they can stock up on those foods. Parents might offer to pack your lunch for you. This is nice of them, but you may want to watch how they do it and ask if you can start making your lunches yourself. It’s a way to show that you’re growing up.

Very cool! Almost makes me want to get a rice cooker and try this!

This looks very tempting! Sadly, I no longer have a rice cooker. I will have to wait until maybe I buy my multipurpose cooker this summer. I want to get one of those pressure cookers with multiple settings. It doubles as a rice cooker, yogurt maker, slow cooker, and many other things 🙂