A Nutritious Back to School!

The start of the school year has always brought mixed feelings for the kids. No more lazy days at the pool or camp. So long to staying up late and roaming the neighborhood with friends. For many kids, the season is tinged by anxiety. Will my teacher be nice? How will I make new friends? Do I really have to learn long division?

Now that the kids are back to school, creating a nutrition game plan will set the stage for a healthy and productive school year.

The morning is often crunch time when everyone is trying to get out the door. Many kids skip eating altogether just to catch a few more minutes of sleep. A routine that includes breakfast, smart snacks and family meals helps children sustain their energy throughout a long day to help achieve success in school and at home. The following are some back-to-school tips and nutrition basics to keep in mind for your children to do their best this year!

1. 1. Complete your back-to school shopping list

Make sure you shop for all your children’s school needs and needed groceries to prepare breakfast and lunch each day over the weekend. Get all breakfast essentials such as: NIDO Fortified milk, wholegrain bread and Nesquik Breakfast Cereals, eggs, cheeses, fruits and vegetables.

2. 2. Re-establish a structured bedtime routine that will help with a smooth morning

It’s difficult for children to get back into the school-friendly schedule. Make sure you prepare your children school clothes, pack healthy lunches for them before turning in for the night.

3. 3. Break the fast

By the time children wake up to go to school, most have gone for 8 to 12 fasting hours without any food offered to their bodies. No wonder breakfast is referred to as the most important meal of the day.

Studies have shown that:

• Regular breakfast eaters have a higher chance of maintaining healthier body weights
• Children who eat breakfast regularly have a more balanced diet including more fruits and more milk and healthier lifestyles than those who skip breakfast^{1, 2}.
• Eating breakfast is associated with improved memory, better test grades, greater school attendance and better behavior^3-8.

A nutritious balanced breakfast such as a bowl of wholegrain breakfast cereals and milk along with a fruit would provide children with adequate energy to kick-start their day as well as a variety of essential nutrients needed for their healthy growth and development such as B-vitamins, Iron, Zinc and Magnesium.

4. 4. Have their lunch well prepared

Try to get your kids to plan their own lunch, encourage them to participate in preparing the food as this has proven to be one of the best ways to ensure they will actually eat it.

As a rule, pack a lunch that includes at least three of the four major food groups (Bread and Cereals, Fruits & Vegetables, Meat and Legumes). A balanced lunch meal could be tuna pasta salad or spinach stew with minced beef and rice along fresh fruits and sliced vegetables.

5. 5. Snack Smart

Children need plenty of nutritious snacks to satisfy their hunger between meals because they have high nutritional needs. However, children often choose less nutritious snack foods that are higher in calories, fat or sugar. So, try to plan healthy snacks such as fresh fruit salad, dried fruits, wholegrain cereal bars or wholegrain bread sticks with hummus /avocado dip or zaatar wholegrain pita bites.

And most importantly, remember that to your child the new school year brings in a whole lot of new things, from the teachers to the fellow classmates. In other words, everything is new and different which would make them feel uncomfortable. Talk to your child about the exciting things they will be learning this year and the new friends they are going to meet. Address their fears, if any, as this would encourage them to look forward and start counting the days for the school to start.

References:

1. Nathalie Michels, Stefaan De Henauw et al. European adolescent ready-to-eat-cereal (RTEC) consumers have a healthier dietary intake and body composition compared to non-RTEC consumers.European Journal of Nutrition. 2014; ISSN 1436-6207, Eur J Nutr; DOI 10.1007/s00394-014-0805
2. Have healthier lifestyles (Diet Quality Index)
3. Wahlstrom, K. L., & Begalle, M. S. (1999). More than test scores: results of the Universal School Breakfast Pilot in Minnesota. Topics in Clinical Nutrition, 15(1):17-29.
4. Wesnes KA, Pincock C, Richardson D et al (2003) Breakfast reduced declines in attention and memory over the morning in schoolchildren. Appetite. 41(3):329 –31.
5. Murphy, J.M., Pagano, M. E., Nachmani, J., Sperling, P., Kane, S., & Kleinman, R. E. (1998). The relationship of school breakfast to psycosocial and academic functioning. Archives Pediatric Adolescent Medicine: 152:899-907.
6. Smith AP (2003)Breakfast cereal consumption and subjective reports of health by young adults. Nutritional Neuroscience, 6, 59-61
7. Smith AP (1999) Breakfast cereal consumption and subjective reports of health. International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, 50, 445-449.
8. Smith AP (1998) Breakfast and mental health. International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, 49, 397-402.
9. Rampersaud, G.C., et al. Breakfast Habits, Nutritional Status, Body Weight, and Academic Performance in Children and Adolescents. Journal of American Dietetic Association. 2005. V105-I5: 743-760.

By Joumana Dabbagh, Market Nutritionist, Nestlé Middle East