Food for the School Years AG - NDR-UK

Vitamin D – the sunshine vitamin
Vitamin D is made in your skin when you are outside in daylight during summer.
Very few foods contain this vitamin so spend time outside every day – take care
not to get sunburnt.
Salt
Eating too much can cause high blood pressure. You can reduce your intake by
not adding it to food and by cutting down on salty foods such as crisps, salted
nuts and processed foods especially tinned and packet soups and ready meals.
Food for the
School Years
Advice for 5-16 year olds
Vegetarians
As vegetarians do not eat meat and fish, it is milk, eggs, cheese, dahl, beans, hummus
and nuts that provide essential protein. A vegetarian diet will be nutritious if a wide
variety of foods are eaten AND plenty of high iron foods are included.
For more information, refer to the leaflet called ‘Following a Vegetarian Diet’, also
produced by the BDA Paediatric Group.
Vitamin, mineral and other supplements
If you eat a wide variety of foods from all 5 food groups you will not need a
supplement. If you take one, choose one with a wide range of nutrients. Check you are
not getting very high doses of certain vitamins or minerals, especially vitamin A.
Exercise
Some exercise every day is important. Seek out something you enjoy and limit the
time you spend in front of a computer, TV or DVD.
Worried about your weight getting too high?
Cut down on foods high in fat and sugar and be more active. Eat more fruit and
vegetables andchange to skimmed milk and low-fat yoghurts. Continue to eat from all
the food groups so that you keep growing and stay healthy. For more help contact your
GP.
The BDA Paediatric Group is a
Specialist Group of
The British Dietetic
Association
The British Dietetic Association
5th Floor, Charles House,
148/9 Great Charles Street,
Queensway, Birmingham B3 3HT.
Fax: 0121 200 8081
e-mail: info@bda.uk.com
www.bda.uk.com
This information has been produced for SNDRí by Registered Dietitians and other relevant health
professionals. At the time of publication the information contained within the leaflet was, to the best
of our knowledge, correct and up-to-date. Always consult a suitably qualified dietitian and/or your
GP on health problems. SNDRí cannot be held responsible for how clients/patients interpret and use
the information within this resource.
To re-order visit www.gcu.ac.uk/sndri
and follow instructions
Ref: FFSY 04/08 (05/10)
Hosted by Glasgow Caledonian University and funded by the Scottish Government. A Registered Dietitians’ project, in partnership with other agencies.
A guide for families
To stay fit and healthy you need to
choose a variety of the right types
of foods to provide all the essential
nutrients.
Eating regular meals rather than
grazing on snacks throughout the
day, usually gives a better balance of
foods and nutrients.
Eating a wide variety of
foods provides more
nutrients so have a
main course and a
pudding at lunch
and for your
evening meal.
Eat together as a family and make
meals fun, social occasions.
Convenience foods, chosen carefully,
can be part of a healthy meal. Select
those with lower amounts of salt, fat
and sugar and serve them with extra
vegetables and fruit.
Breakfast
Leave enough time for breakfast
because concentrating on school work
is more difficult if you haven’t eaten.
Good choices include:
High-fibre cereals e.g. Weetabix,
muesli, Cheerios, Shreddies and
Shredded Wheat - with
fruit and milk. Try fresh,
canned or dried fruit.
Boiled egg with
wholemeal toast spread thinly with
butter or margarine. Plus a glass of
fruit juice or a piece of fruit.
Porridge with milk and a glass of
fruit juice.
Toast with butter and jam or
marmalade and a glass of milk or hot
chocolate to drink. Instead of toast, try
chapatti, crumpets, English muffins or
pancakes.
If you are running late, have a
sandwich and carton of milk or fruit
juice on the way to school.
School meals
Try to make up your meal with
something from each of the 5 food
groups.
Have some meat, fish, eggs, beans,
dahl or lentils every day. Try to have
red meat at least 2-3 times per week
and fish 1-2 times per week. Burgers,
sausages, pastry foods, battered or
crumbed meat and fish products are
usually very high in fat. You should try
to limit these foods to once per
fortnight.
Add at least one starchy food e.g.
pasta, rice, jacket or boiled potatoes,
bread or chapatti. Starchy foods
which have been cooked in oil - such
as potato chips, wedges and roasted
potatoes - are high in fat and should
be limited to once or twice per week.
Fill the rest of your plate with
vegetables. These may be cooked,
raw or in salad. Always try to have at
least one type of vegetable with your
school meal each day.
Complete your meal with a drink (e.g.
milk or pure fruit juice) and a pudding.
Choose fruit, yoghurt or a dessert which
contains fruit e.g. fruit crumble.
Packed lunches
Include something from each of the
5 food groups for a nutritious lunch.
Choose different types of bread for
more variety: sliced bread, bread
rolls, pitta bread, chapatti, naan,
bagels, baps, baguette, crispbread,
crackers and tortilla wraps.
Wholemeal, granary and wheatgerm
varieties have more fibre.
Popular sandwich fillings are ham
and tomato, tuna and cucumber,
cheese and pickle, egg mayonnaise
and cress, chicken and salad, hummus
and peppers. Low-fat mayonnaise and
spreads keep the fat content down.
Alternatives to sandwiches are pizza
slices, pasta or rice salad, samosas,
slices of quiche or bread sticks with
cheese and vegetable sticks.
Include vegetables in sandwiches or
as a salad or add some cherry
tomatoes, carrot or celery sticks.
Include a piece of fruit (fresh, dried
or tinned) and a pudding such as
yoghurt or a small piece of cake that
contains fruit.
Always have a drink.
Snacks
Most children and teenagers need 1
or 2 snacks as well as 3 meals each
day.
The best choices are sandwiches,
yoghurt, breakfast cereals and fruit
because they will give you energy and
nutrients.
Crisps, savoury snack biscuits,
chocolates, sweets, cakes, cereal
bars and processed fruit bars
contain a lot of fat, sugar and salt
but very few vitamins or minerals.
Instead of these, choose nuts, seeds,
plain popcorn or vegetable snacks which
have no added fat, sugar or salt.
Drinks
To keep yourself well hydrated, try
to have 6-8 drinks each day. You
may need more in hot weather.
Plain water and plain, semiskimmed
or skimmed milk are the
best choices.
Yoghurt drinks, smoothies and juice
are also good choices. Pure fruit juice
is better than ‘Fruit Juice Drink’’
because it has more nutrients.
Fizzy drinks, squashes, fruit juice
drinks, sports drinks and some
flavoured waters give you energy
but very few nutrients. Some of
these drinks also contain acids
which may damage teeth. Limit
them to once a day.
If you do have
these drinks, having
them with your
meals will do less
damage to your
teeth. More damage
can happen if they are drunk on their
own.
Iron
You need iron-containing foods
regularly. Teenage girls need the
most.
The best sources are red meat and
other meats including pork and
chicken. Some iron is also found in
pulses, beans, nuts, egg yolks and
oily fish - sardines, mackerel and
salmon. There is also a small
amount in dark green leafy
vegetables. Some breakfast cereals
have added iron.
Iron is better absorbed from meals
which include foods high in vitamin C
e.g. fruits and vegetables. Oranges,
tomatoes and fruit juices are
particularly high.
Avoid drinking tea with meals as it
reduces the amount of iron absorbed
from food.

Food Groups
Eating a combination of foods from all the food groups will give you all the nutrients you need to stay healthy and keep growing.
Putting most foods into the food groups is easy. But some foods are made up of ingredients from more than one food group. For example pizza - the base is
from the bread, rice, potatoes and pasta group; tomatoes and tomato sauce are from the fruit and vegetables group; the cheese is from the milk and dairy group;
and it may have meat or fish from the protein group.
As well as energy, the nutrients you need each day are protein, vitamins, minerals (such as calcium, iron and zinc), fibre and omega 3 and omega 6 fats.
Fruit and vegetables
Bread, rice, potatoes and pasta
Always have fruit and vegetables
at every meal and aim for at least 5
servings a day. Fruit and vegetables
give you vitamins A and C and
fibre. Some contain a little iron.
Tips:
Have a wide range.
Avoid over-cooking vegetables as
this destroys some of the nutrients.
Cook them in a small amount of
water and for a short time so they
are still ‘crisp’ when served.
Don’t soak vegetables in water as
some of the nutrients, like vitamin C,
will be left behind in the water.
Frozen fruit and vegetables are
usually just as nutritious as fresh.
Choose tinned vegetables without
added salt.
Stir fried or roasted vegetables,
using very little oil, are usually
more popular than boiled
vegetables.
Have sliced salad
vegetables with
sandwiches, picnics
and packed
lunches.
Sticks of raw vegetables with a
sauce to dip into makes a great
snack.
Always choose a pudding with
fruit or eat fruit with your pudding
e.g. strawberries go well with cake.
Another way of having vegetables is
to add them to pizzas, burgers,
soups, stews and casseroles.
Dried fruit is good with breakfast
cereals and in puddings and cakes.
It can damage your teeth, like
sweets do, if you eat it on its own
as a snack.
Have at least one food from this
group with each meal.
They include: breakfast cereals,
bread, chapatti, pasta, rice,
couscous, millet, potatoes,
cornmeal, yam and green banana.
Foods made with flour e.g. pizza
bases, buns and pancakes are also
in this group.
These foods give you plenty of
starch (carbohydrates) for energy.
They also give you B vitamins,
fibre and some iron and zinc.
Tips:
Choose breakfast cereals with
added vitamins and iron e.g.
cornflakes and Rice Krispies.
Wholegrain varieties e.g. Weetabix,
Shreddies and Cheerios have more
fibre as well.
Oat cereals e.g. muesli and porridge
are high in iron and also fibre and
give you energy right through the
morning.
Have wholemeal, granary and rye
breads as well as white as they are
higher in fibre. You can also try
pitta bread, chapattis, English
muffins, bagels, crumpets and bread
sticks.
Have pasta shapes with meat,
tomato or cheese sauce.
Try the nutty taste of brown
rice in savoury dishes as a
change from white rice.
Have potatoes baked,
mashed or try a jacket
with a filling. Eating the
potato skins gives you
more fibre.
Meat, fish,
eggs, beans and
other non-dairy
sources of protein
Have foods from this group twice a day.
These foods give you protein, iron, zinc,
magnesium, B vitamins and vitamin A. Some give
you omega 3 fats.
Tips:
Lean meat with the visible fat cut off before cooking
will be lower in calories than fatty meat but will still have
all the nutrients.
Use lean minced beef, turkey, chicken, pork or lamb to
make burgers, meatballs, meatloaf, bolognese sauce or
shepherd’s pie.
Chicken and turkey skin has a lot of fat, so leave it out or
don’t eat it.
Put tuna, cold meat, pastes, pâtés, mashed sardines,
hummus or peanut butter in sandwiches or on toast.
Pulse vegetables such as lentils, chick peas, red
kidney and baked beans make good curries and
casseroles.
Fish is quick and easy to cook. If you have fish in batter,
it is only the batter which is very high in fat, not the fish.
Oily fish (salmon, fresh tuna, mackerel, pilchards,
sardines) contain omega 3 fats which are good for your
brain and heart. As these fish may contain small
amounts of pollutants, boys can have up to 4 portions
each week but girls should keep to 1 or 2 portions a
week. Avoid shark, swordfish and marlin as they may
contain high levels of mercury.
Sausages, chicken nuggets, burgers and fish fingers are
popular but choose those lower in fat and salt or make
them yourself. Grill or bake them rather than frying.
Eggs can be boiled, poached or scrambled. Omelettes
and eggy bread are different ways to serve eggs.
Foods and drinks high in
fat and/or sugar
These foods should be eaten in small amounts.
They are high in calories but have very few
nutrients. Eating too many of these foods may
make you overweight or obese. This can cause
diabetes and heart disease.
Foods in this group include cream, butter,
margarines, cooking and salad oils, mayonnaise,
chocolate, crisps, sweets, biscuits, cakes, ice
cream, pastries, fizzy drinks, sweets, jam, syrup
and sugar. When using fats and oils choose
some with high levels of omega 3 fat such as
walnut oil, rapeseed oil and olive oil.
Tips:
Spread butter and margarine very thinly.
Frying foods in fat or oil adds extra calories.
Grilling, baking or steaming foods doesn’t.
If you have ice cream, biscuits or a piece of cake
make them small portions and add some fruit to
make a more nutritious pudding or snack.
Have sweets and chocolate at the end of a meal
rather than in between meals so that they do not
damage your teeth.
Try your drinks without adding sugar as the sugar
just adds extra calories and no nutrients.
Milk, cheese
and yoghurt
Have three servings of milk, yoghurt or cheese
each day.
These foods give you protein, calcium, B vitamins
and iodine.
Tips:
Milk is a very nutritious drink. Choose semiskimmed
or skimmed milk. These have less fat and
fewer calories than full-fat milk, but have the same
amounts of protein, calcium and most other
nutrients.
Flavoured milk and yoghurt drinks are also healthy
options, but make sure to check how much sugar
has been added. Try to choose brands that have
less than 10g of ‘total sugars’ per 100ml.
Have milk on breakfast cereals as a snack.
Have yoghurt or fromage frais as a pudding or
snack between meals. Use them in place of cream.
Try to select brands which are lower in fat and
contain no added sugar.
Try paneer in curries or have yoghurt with curry.
Grated cheese, cheese spreads or cheese portions
can be used as sandwich fillers, on toast or as a
snack.
Add cheese to jacket potatoes, pasta, savoury
flans, or use it in white sauce to make macaroni
cheese and cauliflower cheese.