Q: How bad, nutritionally, are pre-packed kid’s lunch meals with mini pizzas, tacos, etc? And is apple juice the healthiest drink to give them?

A: It’s no surprise that many of the pre-packed lunches are relatively high in fat and sodium but as teens and children need a lot of energy the biggest problem may not be the pre-packed lunch but what goes with the lunch. Rounding out a meal with extra sweets and sugar-laden drinks containing little or no juice leaves a meal nutritionally lacking, whether it’s pre-packaged or one you’ve packed yourself. If you prefer pre-packaged meals, look for those with very little of the less nutritious fillers and supplement them with your own nutrient rich fresh fruits, raw vegetables, or both. On the other hand, packing a healthy lunch with wholegrain sandwiches, salad and boiled eggs takes only a few minutes (and less money) if you add the ingredients to your weekly shopping list. You might question whether it’s worth paying more for a nutritionally incomplete, pre-packed meal.

 

Apple juice is a nutritious drink that can supply some of the health-promoting phytochemicals found in apples. But there’s no reason to use it as the main beverage every lunch or snack time the way many parents do. The idea that apple juice is somehow easier than citrus juice on children’s stomachs is quite untrue.  Regardless of what juice is used, child nutrition experts warn that doling out multiple glasses of juice between meals can leave a toddler too full to get adequate nutrition at meals. Water is the often forgotten drink and would be good to get our children used to drinking just plain water.  Some snack-time or lunchtime juice is fine, but getting children in the habit of drinking water, or perhaps diluted fruit juice, to satisfy thirst between meals will bring them many short- and long-term benefits.

Q: What size portions do three to five year old children need?

A: As a parent you want to ensure your child has all the nutrients they need to grow up healthy and strong but you also don’t want to overwhelm them with large servings. So use small plates and start children off with less and encourage them to ask for more if they are still hungry.

 

For each year of age, the American Dietetic Association (ADA) recommends one tablespoon of every food offered at a meal. That means three-year-olds would start with three tablespoons of every food offered, and if they eat it all, they can ask for more. Don’t make the mistake of scolding children for not finishing all you have served or forcing them to overeat. You need to encourage them to eat until they are satisfied not stuffed. If you think that this is a waste of food serve less in the first place and respect your child’s ability to recognise when they have had enough.

 

It’s not a good idea to hand out sweets and snacks straight after lunch or dinner if they did eat too little. Eventually, they will learn to gauge their own appetites and get most of what they need at regular meals.

Children who regularly eat junk food are nearly three times as likely to behave badly than those who avoid it completely, according to a recent Food for the Brain survey funded by organic food company Organix of more than 10,000 children.

The survey also linked good academic performance with a healthy diet containing plenty of vegetables, oily fish, whole grains, nuts, seeds and water. The scores of those eating a good diet gained 11 per cent higher marks than those eating a poor diet.

In the report parents were asked to rate their children’s behaviour on a scale of one to five; they also answered questions about their children’s eating habits and diet. Of those who ate fried, take away or processed foods every day, 44 per cent of children were thought to be poorly behaved. Only 16 per cent of those who never ate junk food were deemed to have poor behaviour. The average intake of dark green leafy vegetables and wholegrain food was a meager one a week and refined or processed foods were eaten on average twice a day.

Overall this report reveals a depressing picture of a nation of poorly fed children but it does show that the first step to improving academic performance may be by improving diet.