Wirral parents urged to spare a thought for healthy school dinners (From Wirral Globe)

Wirral parents urged to spare a thought for healthy school dinners

9:00am Sunday 29th August 2010 in News By Craig Manning

OFF THE MENU? Fries

PARENTS are being urged to make sure their children eat healthily when in school after new research revealed Big Macs and whole packets of Jaffa Cakes were ending up in lunchboxes.

NHS Wirral's Healthy Schools Team also found that in some schools only thirty percent of children had any fruit or vegetables in their packed lunch.

As pupils prepare to return to school, NHS Wirral is urging parents to make sure their children have a healthy lunch, and one of the easiest ways to do that is to enroll them for school meals.

They have been given a huge makeover in recent years, and now follow strict nutritional guidelines to ensure that each day they provide at least two of the recommended five-a-day portions of fruit and vegetables, and meet the weekly recommended levels of calcium and zinc.

Evidence from the School Food Trust shows that pupils having school meals performed better in afternoon classes. For just £2 per day children receive a healthy two course meal and drink, and children with special dietary needs are also catered for.

Marie Armitage, NHS Wirral's joint director of public health said: "Most parents think they're doing the right thing by making their children packed lunches.

"But often we may not realize that we have included items full of fat, sugar and additives.

There's also a lack of awareness about what is healthy – white bread sandwiches with a salt-heavy processed spread are not very good for you.

"School meals are a great option as you know your child is getting a tasty and nutritionally balanced meal."

Parents providing children with packed lunches are recommended to make sure each lunch includes: at least one portion of fruit and one portion of vegetables meat, fish or other source of non-dairy protein, for example lentils, kidney beans, hummus, peanut butter; a starchy food such as bread, pasta, rice, couscous, noodles, or potatoes, dairy such as milk, cheese, yoghurt, fromage frais or custard, although not more than two dairy items in each packed lunch. Also included are water, fruit juice, milk, yoghurt or milk drinks and smoothies.