SCHOOL DAYS
Finally, the child is a baby no longer. Toddling days are over, and infancy passes. It is finally the stage when the youngster is ready to head off to school. This is the start of an exciting new era, for both child and parents, especially when it is baby number one.
But the variety and nature of the food eaten during school days is extremely important. Sad to say, many parents give little thought to this vital aspect of living, and growing, and developing.
The food children eat at school is vitally important to their health. In fact, bad habits that commence in childhood often persist throughout life. Problems in adulthood almost always start during the younger years. In this respect, food and eating habits probably top the list.
High cholesterol levels and heart disease account for the majority of deaths of Australians. In fact, it now stands around 50000 a year—about 1000 a week. Frequently, many of these sudden unplanned disasters can be traced back to faulty eating routines that started during school days. Overweight, the problem confronting about five million (or more) Australians, generally has its origins in school days, or even earlier. It is now well established that overweight children invariably develop into overweight, obese adults. The number of diseases that strikes this group is legendary.
So, as a parent it is largely up to you to guide your child’s eating routines from the first day of commencing school. Leaving the youngster’s food requirements to chance, and to the chance that the school tuck-shop will fulfil the youngster’s dietetic needs, is tantamount to disaster.
The majority of school tuck-shops are run as commercial undertakings; therefore, most tend to sell the products that are most saleable and asked for in greatest frequency. Almost invariably these are the cheaper, high-starch products. They include sweets in all forms, pastries, cakes, biscuits, bread products and similar high-calorie foods. Aerated beverages come high on the list also.
The food value of these products is very low. Certainly they provide calories, which are often equated with energy. But excessive amounts are merely laid down as rolls of fat. The vitamin levels are small. The protein content is usually very small also. These two items are essential for body growth and the normal wear-and-tear repair of the system. These are the products that should be emphasized in any juvenile diet, together with coarse grain products called complex carbohydrates.
It is far better to prepare your child’s food each day before school. This is superior planning, and will be of greater value to the child than relying on the products sold at tuck-shops. Unless your school has a health-orientated canteen, tuck-shops are best let alone.
It is pleasing to note that some schools, usually those run by parent organizations, are at long last realizing the value of good-quality food in the tuck-shop. Some have completely thrown out all sweet lines and products that are dietetically useless. These have been replaced by high-protein, high-vitamin and complex carbohydrate (grains, etc.) lines of definite value to the growing child. Such action is to be condoned. It is hoped other schools will follow this trend. But, unfortunately, the over-whelming majority are still slumming along with the sort of food they’ve been selling since mum was in pigtails.
Quite apart from the high-calorie, high-cholesterol level of most of the average tuck-shop fare, the high-sugar levels are proving a disaster as far as teeth are concerned. Not long ago a survey was conducted to check schoolchildren’s teeth. It was equated with the nature of food sold at tuck-shops. There was a distinct relationship: children regularly consuming large quantities of high-sugar products suffered far more adversely with dental caries (tooth decay) than children who ate a sensible, lower-sugar diet.
As researchers pointed out, the saving in cost in dental bills far exceeded any increased cost incurred by the better-quality (and marginally more expensive) foods. In short, pay a bit more for good-quality food and you more than recoup this in fewer dental accounts.
Generally speaking, the foods that should be soft-pedalled include products that contain three basic ingredients: Sugar, refined flour and potato.
This may not seem serious, hut it actually involves many commonly used foods. ‘Sugar’ means sugar in all its forms; this includes sweets, lollies, chocolates, fizzy drinks (usually laden with sugar), cordials and icy-blocks; syrupy, stewed (and tinned) fruits, icings in cakes, pastry, etc. Sugar is contained in many desserts. Honey is merely another form of sugar.
Refined flour is widely used in our modern society. Its uses include bread, cakes, scones, pastry, biscuits, many sweet dishes, pancakes, doughnuts, porridge and many cereals.
Potato comes in many forms. The most popular with children are potato chips, crisps and ’straws’. But mashed, boiled or baked potato are just as high in calories and low in protein. They are best used in moderate helpings only.
Many mothers will probably claim they could not possibly do without these items. Nobody is recommending “complete cessation in their use. However, moderation in their use is strongly recommended. This is even more important if your child shows a tendency to be overweight. These products will only aggravate the condition, and may produce long-term problems. There are many simple substitutes, or more healthy variations to the items already listed.
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