Small Bites

Deteriorating food habits,less physical activity,too much processed food,which is high on sugar,starch,oil have played havoc with health and are the major causes of rising childhood obesity. Precisely why both parents and schools are realizing the need to inculcate good eating habits,without preaching and forcing. The idea is to involve children in the process of gaining health and letting them have a say in deciding and designing menus. So,moving away from only textbook gyan on vitamins,minerals,proteins,carbs…schools are now coming up with absorbing plans like cooking competitions,activities which talk about healthy food,nutrition workshops,healthy tiffin contests and even live cooking as part of the school curriculum! “The idea is to engage children in the process of promoting healthy child development through dialogue,games,craft and mime to bring home essential facts on food,nutrition and healthy living,” Aditi Mehrotra talks about the philosophy of Arney’s Backyard,a unique and tested model that promotes healthy eating among children and also holds various workshops in the city on the subject.

At the Strawberry World School,nutrition is an integral part of daily learning,without making it structured and there’s an exclusive module for primary and senior classes. The idea,agrees Aman Sidhu the Principal,is to make healthy eating a part of children’s lives,with teachers encouraging the idea by talking,involving them in activities and even cooking classes. “They love whipping up healthy versions of pasta,sandwiches,pizzas…it’s mostly non-fire and makes them self-reliant and confident to create a meal on their own and also use the skills at home,” smiles Aman.

The idea,says Jeeti Gandhi,a nutritionist and author,is to be innovative and fortify for nutrition and to make the food look good. “It’s simple,make fruit smoothies,soy burgers,wheat pizzas with home-made tomato sauce. Let the child feel the food,look at it and tell her what’s being fed,talk about the nutrition values,how it will make her grow big and strong and don’t let the child read or watch television while eating,” Jeeti also warns against over-feeding and loading plates with extra food.

Good eating habits have to be inculcated early on and that’s where mothers play an important role,so a recent cookery show at Chitkara International School guided parents at making healthy tiffins. Small changes like switching to multi-grain bread,packing in at least one fruit,avoiding packaged juice,incorporating greens in an innovative way…go a long way. “Green and pink rava idlis using spinach and carrot purees,granny’s French toasts,pastas with layers of veggies,nutri salad,there’s so much you can do,” Aditi says their message to parents and children through ‘Eat Right Stay Bright’ Healthy India Campaign is to try and clean up their diet by reducing or omitting foods with non-nutritional value. That implies increase in intake of whole grains,legumes,fruits,vegetables,nuts and seeds,dairy products,fresh juices and other unprocessed foods.

At Small Wonders,they are all set to begin a nutrition club on campus,as the ‘good food’ workshops for parents were a big hit,with moms regularly sending food that’s high on health. “We’ve had moms and children bond over cooking great meals,and we can see a big change in the quality of tiffins and enthusiasm to create wholesome meals,” agrees Heena,the principal here. Vivek High did a health cold dessert day a few months back,where Class 1 students made and ate fruity jelly and were taught the importance of breakfast,and activities using the food pyramid guide model to make children understand “what’s on my plate”.

At the British School,children have been involved in a series of events and trips to learn about varied foods,how it grows,who grows it and what’s good for them,”Project Food has been an ambitious programme which we began a few months back and recently moms set up a salad bar,packed with exciting preparations of fresh fruits,sprouts,vegetables and milk products,” quips Mona Sethi,Director of the School. Project Food also witnessed indoor activities,which included their own supermarket,where they collected empty containers of foods,cosmetics,pulses,wheat,noodles etc and a visit from fruit and veggie vendors.

More and more schools are now asking for nutritious food for their canteens,adds Ashi,who runs Grub Club. “Noodles and pasta with lots of veggies,bran cookies,wheat muffins,fruit shakes,wheat bread sandwiches,thin-crust pizzas lemonades…it’s a spread.” Bite in!