Meal Planning for the School Child

We have so far studied about growth and development in the school years. We have also gone through the recommended dietary intakes for this age group. Now let us learn how to plan meals and diets for the school child. 

Do you recollect the main factors that need to be considered in meal planning ? If you want to remind yourself once again look at the figure in the margin. These factors are, of course, applicable to planning diets for any individual. 

The major specific considerations involved in planning balanced meals and diets for school children are listed in the subsequent discussion. We begin by first identifying the person for whom we are planning the diet. 

Whom are we planning for ? 

• Is the child in the 7-9 year/10-12 years category ? 
• If the child is between 10 and 12 years of age, is the child a girl or a boy? 
• What income group does the child belong to? 
• What is the religious and cultural background? 
• In which region does the child stay? 

Once you have listed the characteristics of the individual, look up the RDIs for energy and protein. 

Which nutrients are of particular importance ? 

Nutrients of particular importance in the school years are : 

• energy giving nutrients (carbohydrates and fats) 
• protein 
• iron and 
• calcium 

Which foods to select ? 

When we plan diets we have to decide on which foods to select and how much to give of these foods. The points to keep in mind are: 

• Include items from each of the three food groups (energy-giving, body-building and protective/regulatory )in each meal. 
• Include an animal protein source in each meal if possible and if income permits; use cereal- pulse combinations to improve protein quality. 
• Include foods rich in calcium and iron; you are already familiar with the food sources of these nutrients You can look up Annexure 1 to refresh your memory. 

What should be the meal pattern ? 

The number of meals to be consumed would depend on the income of the family and the daily routine of the child. Here we must remember that the school timings are important. Some schools function from 7.30 or 8.00 a.m. to 1.30 p.m.; others function from 9.30 a.m. to 3.30 or 4.00 p.m. The meal timings, the number and even the nature of meals would vary accordingly. The meals consumed by the school child could follow any of the following patterns:

(A) would be fairly common in the low income group. (B) and (C) are common in the middle income group and (D) could be a meal pattern followed by the high income group. However, the meal pattern selected would depend on the convenience of the child and higher preferences. Generally meal frequency increases with increasing income. 

If you look at the RDIs you would notice that school children have high energy requirements. This means that the total amount of food the child has to eat is considerable. A four meal pattern could pose problems for some children. Increasing meal frequency (if  possible) would, therefore, help the child eat smaller quantities at a time while taking in more food in the whole day. 

What are the other specific consideration?

The school child, unlike the preschooler, spends a great deal of time away from home. He is exposed to various influences  as a result of which he picks up new food habits. He tends to miss breakfast and munches snacks in between meals. He seldom bothers about packed lunches. The following section gives you ideas on how to overcome these difficulties and ensure satisfactory diets. Let us start with points about the main meals. 

1) MAIN MEALS 

• Breakfast should be substantial and should be planned around a cereal-based preparation. Milk/egg/pulse and a fruit should be included. Choice of items would dependent on the money available. 
• Dinners and lunches must be balanced meals based on items rich in protein, vitamins and minerals. They are the most substantial meals in the day. With the kind of meal pattern we adopt, we would give a packed lunch for the child to eat at school. In addition, a "late lunch" could be given at home when the child returns from school, as you have noticed in the earlier discussion on meal patterns. In such a case the late lunch would be lighter. Generally dinner can be a more elaborate meal because the child can eat at leisure, but this does not mean it should be a heavy meal. Here, of course, the terms, "heavy" and "light" refer to contribution to total energy provided by the day's diet. One must remember that the heavier meals such as lunch and dinner should also contribute more protein, vitamins and minerals as compared to meals such as tea-time or even breakfast. In addition to these we must also be aware of the possibility of the child receiving a mid-day meal or snack as part of a nutrition programme in schools. We will learn more about this programme. Some schools offer a complete meal whereas others offer a ready-to-eat snack. There is considerable variation from one State to another. According to the recommendations, mid-day meals should provide at least one-third of the daily energy RDI and about half of the daily protein need. 
• Packed lunches should be easy to carry and handle, require minimum preparation time and should be balanced. The lunch must include sources of protein, vitamins and minerals in addition to energy. Dry preparations such as a drypulse or cottage chew (paneer) and vegetable or meat-vegetable preparations can be offered. Items like sandwiches and pizzas are common in the high income group. Lower and middle income groups usually serve items like paranthes/rotis/rice and dal or vegetable; idlis and sambar; curd rice/tamarind rice and similar preparations. Think for a minute or two about common packed lunches in your region. Are they balanced? 

If they are not balanced, any of the following suggestions might help depending on which food group is missing or inadequate. 

The body-building group 

1. Add a pulse in suitable form 
2. Add cottage cheese (paneer) or milk-based dessert 
3. Add meat in suitable form.
4. Include egg in suitable form 

The protective-regulatory group 

1. Add a fruit or fruit-based preparation 
2. Add a vegetable preparation 

Usually the energy-giving group does find a place in a packed lunch so we have left that out in the list. 

Some good ideas on packed lunches are given in Annexure 6 at the end of this block. You might be tempted to try some of those and even make your own modifications. Annexure 6 also gives practical tips on how to pack lunches for children. 

2) SNACKS 

Snacks selected should be balanced rather than just calorie-rich and should supply substantial amounts of nutrients particularly energy, protein, calcium, and iron. Snacks can be offered mid- morning and at tea-time. The packed lunch can also take the form of a snack.  School children, in fact, are very fond of eating snacks in between meals and during meal times. So you will have no problem in encouraging them to eat snacks. However, care has to be taken to select the right kind of snacks. Snacks, of course, should not be given close to the main meals or instead of the main meals. Too many sweet, sticky foods should not be consumed in between meals. This predisposes the child to tooth decay. Foods such as chips, wafers, soft drinks should not be consumed in excess since they contribute chiefly energy because of their fat and sugar content and little else. Such foods are in fact referred to as junk food. We will talk more about junk foods in Section. 

3) SERVING SIZE AND MEAL FREQUENCY 

Serving size (the amount served at a time) should be planned keeping the child's capacity to eat in mind; this is where increasing meal frequency helps. 

4) FOOD PREFERENCES 

Variety must be included by selecting different types of foods and introducing variety in color, flavor, texture, form and shape. The child enjoys foods prepared using different cooking methods and food combinations. 

Sufficient attention must be given to the child's likes and dislikes. Items disliked should be included in a form readily accepted by the child e.g. if a child does not like a particular vegetable it could be boiled and mashed and mixed with other foods to make cutlet which the child might like. Similarly, if a child does not like milk it could be offered as curd, custard or paneer (cottage cheese) preparations. 

You have so far studied the major considerations relevant to meal planning.for the school child. This should lead you to some conclusions about the type of meals, meal frequency, serving size and suitable snacks for the child. 

We mentioned earlier that it is during the school years that food habits become wall established. In this sense, it is a crucial phase. It is a fact that poor dietary habits can lead to chronic dseases such as obesity and heart disease later in life. Eating too much fat and sugar can made the child put on weight and become obese. This can also lead to the deposition of fatty substances in certain blood vessels particularly those of the heart ultimately resulting in heart disease.