5 rules for proper nutrition of a student
Your child is starting school, and you're wondering how to feed them properly? Not sure which elements of their daily diet are worth paying particular attention to? A sample menu for a primary school student , often asked by parents, won't provide a comprehensive answer to these questions, which remain relevant even in remote learning. You may already be familiar with the 12 principles of healthy eating – to make it easier for you to ensure a proper diet for your student , we've shortened this list by more than half. Learn 5 principles of healthy eating for school-aged children, as well as for adolescents , and implement them into your family's life starting today.
Take care of the variety of the daily menu
When it comes to healthy eating for children , adolescents, and adults alike, the most important is adding variety to the daily diet. Why is this so important? Because no single product or dish provides all nutrients (protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals) in ideal quantities and proportions. For example, one product is high in complete protein (e.g., an egg), another is a great source of complex carbohydrates (e.g., rye roll), and yet another provides a powerful dose of vitamin C (e.g., red bell pepper). Increasing the variety of meals will increase your child's protection against nutritional deficiencies and the diseases that develop as a result. Furthermore, a varied diet for students protects against the accumulation of too many of a single type of unhealthy substances, preservatives, and toxins. When ensuring a varied diet , the healthy eating pyramid for school-aged children and adolescents is crucial , as it determines which foods, in what quantities, and how often they should be on your child's plate.
Expert advises
Importantly, the basis of the healthy eating pyramid, i.e. its most important element, is physical activity. It encourages children and adolescents to take up a daily dose of exercise, which is as important as proper nutrition. The healthy nutrition pyramid for school children and adolescents also shows that fresh vegetables and fruits should be a key part of the menu - natural sources of easily digestible vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber.
Teach meals to be regular and not to eat in between
Healthy student diet it's food at fixed times. Teach your child that regular meals and keeping an appropriate interval between them (approx. 3-4 hours) is the key to health and well-being. How to explain to a child that it is so important? Tell him about that our body requires a regular supply of energy because it constantly uses it throughout the day, incl. for learning, exercising in PE lessons, playing with peers, extracurricular activities. If the breaks between meals are too long, the body "switches" to a slower functioning mode, and the energy from the next meal will be willingly put aside. This may, in the long run, contribute to the development of overweight and obesity. No regular meals it also causes moments of strong feeling to appear more often hunger, which increase the urge to eat sweet and / or fatty products (e.g. sweets) that are high in calories and are not conducive to health and maintaining a proper body weight. On the other hand constantly eating in between meals often contributes to consuming too many calories throughout the day (in relation to the child's needs) and stimulates the pancreas to secrete additional insulin. This, too, can result in your baby becoming overweight and developing a disorder called insulin resistance, which greatly increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Regular meals no snacking between them it is worth introducing as soon as possible, because it is difficult to change bad habits acquired in childhood. It may then turn out to be appropriate nutrition of adolescents, Czy healthy diet for teenagers will remain only in the sphere of the so-called wishful thinking.
Include vegetables in every main meal
A diet for adolescents and school-aged children must include vegetables. They provide numerous vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and natural antioxidants, while also being low in calories. The healthy eating pyramid for school-aged children and adolescents clearly emphasizes the crucial role of vegetables. Experts emphasize that regular vegetable consumption reduces the risk of developing many diseases, including type 2 diabetes, obesity, hypertension, coronary heart disease, and some cancers.
Expert advises
Try to include a vegetable with every main meal - breakfast, lunch, dinner -. For example: always include lettuce and other vegetables (e.g. cucumber, pepper) with breakfast sandwiches, serve salads with fresh and / or pickled vegetables for lunch, add chives, onion and radishes to the cottage cheese for dinner. Remember that vegetables cut into sticks (e.g. raw carrots, peppers, cucumbers, celery) can also be an addition to a lunch or afternoon tea.
If you're unsure whether a sample menu for a primary school student found online will be good for your child, first look for vegetables. The earlier you introduce them to your child's diet, the greater the chance that you won't have to worry or ask about a healthy diet for teenagers later.
Include a bottle of water with school meals every day
Water is an extremely important element when it comes to the nutrition of adolescents, children, and adults. Therefore, encourage your child to drink water throughout the day at school. This will reduce the risk of dehydration, which is associated with fatigue, drowsiness, headaches, dizziness, and poor concentration. Children and adolescents should drink 1.5-2 liters of water daily, including water from other beverages (e.g., milk), foods (e.g., vegetables and fruit), and meals (e.g., soups). Set a good example for your child and prioritize drinking water. It's the most effective hydrator and doesn't provide calories, which is important for preventing overweight and obesity. Avoid giving your child sugary, carbonated, or still drinks.
Limit the presence of sugar and sweets in your home and school meals
Sugar, sweets, and the aforementioned sweet drinks are products beloved by children and adolescents. Unfortunately, their nutritional value is very poor, meaning they provide little protein, vitamins, minerals, or healthy fats. However, they are very high in calories (e.g., one bar of chocolate contains approximately 550 kcal), and these calories come primarily from large amounts of sugar and partially hydrogenated fat, which contains unhealthy trans fatty acids. Therefore, it's important to limit the presence of sweet foods in your child's diet and your own to 1-2 times a week . Therefore, if you or your child are wondering what to eat at school , the answer is obvious: definitely not sweets, sugary snacks, or sugary drinks.
As you can see from the above list, healthy eating guidelines for school-age children don't have to be complicated or difficult to implement. Use them, or refer to the popular 12 healthy eating guidelines , to ensure you know what your child should eat at school and outside of school, and what constitutes an appropriate diet for school-age children.
Źródła:
Charzewska Jadwiga, Wolnicka Katarzyna et al.: Principles of healthy eating and physical activity for children and adolescents. Food and Nutrition Institute, Warsaw 2013;
Charzewska Jadwiga, Wolnicka Katarzyna et al .: Rules of proper nutrition for children and adolescents and tips for a healthy lifestyle; development in the National Program for the Prevention of Overweight and Obesity and Chronic Non-communicable Diseases by Improving Nutrition and Physical Activity for 2007–2011 (POL-HEALTH). Food and Nutrition Institute, Warsaw 2008;
Jarosz Mirosław: Healthy eating and lifestyle pyramid for children and adolescents; website (as of September 24.09, 2020): https://ncez.pl/abc-zywienia-/zasady-zdrowego-zywienia/piramida-zdrowego-zywienia-i-stylu-zycia-dzieci-i-mlodziezy;
Chwojnowska Zofia: How can we counteract the unfavorable phenomena related to improper nutrition of children and adolescents? website (as of September 24.09, 2020) https://ncez.pl/dzieci-i-mlodziez/dzieci-przedszkolne-i-szkolne/jak-mozemy-przeciwdzialac-niekorzystnym-zjawiskom-zwiazanym-z-nieprawidlowym-zywieniem-dzieci-i-mlod
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