So what are the main benefits of school meals?
Well, for a start, school meals present a variety of freshly cooked main meals, salads and desserts for your child to choose from on a daily basis. They control excess amounts of sugary, fatty, and salty foods, and provide food that is crammed with essential vitamins and minerals. Nutritionally balanced to provide up to 3 of your child's 5 a day portions of fruit and vegetables will encourage them to have a healthy lifestyle from an early age.
But what if my child is really fussy?
Other children will have a strong influence on children to try something new or to do something that they normally wouldn’t do. My sister’s daughter is a moody little complainer at home when it comes to eating her fruit and veg. But her teacher revealed that she actually eats her three portions at school with no complaint, just because her friends have it too! This is also shown by research from the School Food Trust, which shows that eight out of ten children in the UK who have school dinners had tried food that they had not tried at home.
What if I have Special Requirements?
Several schools offer to provide food with special dietary requirements and a vegetarian option is always available. If your child’s school doesn’t then that means that you can always request for special catering. Also, A lot of people claim that parents cannot know what their children are eating when they are having a school meal, however, I don’t think this is true. Every parent can get a copy of the school’s menu from the school easily where you can see what will be served on which day. This way, you know what your child will have and won’t have any worries about your child’s lunch.
But Aren’t Packed Lunches Better?
To continue, your child having a school meal means more convenience for you – the morning is usually as busy as it is for a parent, and through school dinners you don’t have the extra hassle every morning to pack their lunch and you know that they’ll have a healthy hot meal instead of cold sandwiches and wraps. You, as a parent, will try your best to make your child’s lunch as good as possible, but a packed lunch won’t have the same fresh taste as a freshly cooked meal, and at the end of the day, a hot meal is a hot meal. You’ll know that your child has enjoyed a cooked meal for lunch, so that then you can quickly prepare a little snack for them after school which, again, makes it easier for you.
Are School Meals More Expensive?
Generally, packed lunches are believed to be cheaper than school meals. However, you have to consider the fact that a good quality school meal has to meet the nutritional standards along with overhead expenses, so of course you’ll have to pay a bit more than packed lunches, but you’ll realise that it’s excellent value for money because of the quality and service that you get in return.
How does it affect my Child’s Behaviour?
Research has shown that children who get a well-balanced healthy meal at lunch tend to do better at school. This makes sense – a well fed child is likely to be a happy child, and a happy child is likely to join in with the activities and behave better. It was recently proved that healthier school meals not only improved the pupil’s test results, but their attendance too; the number of sick leaves by pupils who were school dinners reduced by nearly 15%. So, your child would not only get better with their concentration and behaviour at school, but would get fitter and healthier too.
I sincerely hope this leaflet has cleared all your doubts about school meals and made you realise how much better it is to let your child be school dinners. School meals are better because they are a great way to introduce new and exciting foods to your child. School meals are better because it means you have one less bother in the morning. And most importantly, school meals are better because they make your child concentrate and behave better.
by
ashututu (student)
