Food Balance: Getting the correct nutrition

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Food Balance

Getting the correct nutrition

Ensure your child gets the correct nutrition

The Schools Health Promotion and Nutrition Act means schools are now required by law to ensure the food and drink they provide meets certain nutritional requirements. In order to ensure your child is getting the correct nutrition please encourage your child to bring healthy snacks to school.

Here are some suggestions:

Fruit
Vegetable Sticks (carrot, cucumber)
Low fat crisps
Breadsticks
Low fat popcorn
Water or low fat milk
Low fat cheese sticks

Please note only one snack is recommended at play time. If your child is bringing a packed lunch to school, remember to keep it healthy.

Here are some ideas of what you could include:

Chicken salad wholemeal roll
Banana sandwich, wholemeal bread
Tuna pasta, wholemeal pasta
Low fat cheese and crackers
Low fat fromage frais or yoghurt
Fruit or fruit salad
Vegetable sticks (carrot, cucumber)
Box of raisins or other dried fruit
Water, milk, apple or orange juice

This is just a flavour of what you can include. Remember to try and vary your child’s lunchbox each day. Not only does this keep them from getting bored, it will also ensure you provide them with a healthy balanced diet. Remember sweet treats and drinks including dried fruit should be restricted to meal times to help prevent tooth decay.

Please download our lunch box and tuck shop leaflet for further information and advice on what your child should be eating in school.

Additional Information

Glasgow Centre for Population Health

Jamie Oliver Food Foundation

Eat Well Plate

The eatwell plate is a pictorial representation of the types and proportions of different foods that are needed to make up a healthy balanced diet. The model reinforces that it is balance and variety of foods that is important for health.

The eatwell plate is recommended as a dietary guide for most people over the age of five years old. Whether you are a healthy weight, overweight or vegetarian the eatwell plate will apply to you.

The model divides foodstuffs into five food groups:

• Bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and other starchy foods

• Fruit and vegetables

• Milk and dairy foods

• Meat, fish, eggs, beans and other non-dairy sources of protein

• Foods and drinks high in fat and/or sugar

As indicated, foods from the largest groups - bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and other starchy foods and fruit & vegetables - should be eaten most often and foods from the smallest group - foods & drinks high in fat and/or sugar - should be eaten least often.

Key messages

Meals should be based on foods from the largest sections of the plate model; fruit and vegetables and bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and other starchy foods.

To ensure healthy nutrient intake, at least five portions of fruit and vegetables should be eaten daily.

Two or three servings of milk and dairy products should be eaten per day; choose low-fat varieties where possible.

When meat is consumed, lean cuts of meat are recommended (trim off visible fat and skin).

Two portions of fish (one oily) per week are recommended to ensure intake of essential fats.

Foods and drinks containing sugar should be eaten at meal times, rather than between meals.