DIRECTOR of the School Feeding Unit in the Ministry of Education and Youth, Helen Robertson, has urged parents to prepare healthy and nutritious meals and snacks for their children to take to school ahead of Monday’s official opening of the new school year.

“Often I go into the supermarket and I see people’s trolleys full of little bags of cheese trix and sachets of juice. While they may have a place, nothing is going to beat fruits and vegetables and prepared sandwiches. It is easy to buy convenience foods because you just pick them up and pack them in a lunch pan, but that really does not provide a great deal of nutrition,” Robertson said.

According to the health ministry’s director of nutrition, Sharmaine Edwards, children need to eat nutritious meals in order to avoid complications such as obesity.

“Obesity will cause a child to become lethargic, develop a negative body image, low self-esteem, and it increases the risk of adulthood obesity and related illnesses such as hypertension and diabetes, all of which can affect the energy level and attention span,” she said.

An example of a healthy breakfast menu for a child, she said, would include half a cup of cereal with fruit and a milk drink. For lunch, she suggested that parents could pack lunches but most schools had a feeding programme, which consist of a nutri snack and drink or a conventional meal.

For snacks, the nutrition director said that parents could prepare nutritious items such as carrot sticks, breads, biscuits, popcorns that are sugar-free, as well as other low-fat products.

She however cautioned parents against being over-zealous, as children often refuse to eat certain food, especially nutritious items such as fruits and vegetables.

Parents should also encourage their children to participate in physical activities and get sufficient rest, as these combined with a balanced diet will promote good health.