Ideas On Planning School Lunches

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30044, 31 January 1963, Page 2

Ideas On Planning School Lunches

Some mothers groan at the thought of sandwiches bat school lunches do not have to be sandwiches. There are plenty or ways to brighten up the school lunch, says Miss Cynthia Trilling, of the Health Education section of the Department of Health, Christchurch.

There are three points to consider when preparing diets for school children. The children are growing fast and so have great need for protein, calcium, and vitamin*

The children are very active and, for their sire, they need more food than

adults do. A boy of IS needs more food than his father, unless the father does very heavy work. A child’s stomach is small but his nutrient needs are large. It to dear that hto meals must have a high nutritive value.

Each day, a school lunch should contain something of the following food groups:—

Group L Egg* meat, cheese, fish, peanut butter. This group to important as it provides the most valuable part of the lunch and also wards off hunger for a long time afterwards. This group must not be neglected. Group L—One sweet sandwich, or more, made from any type of bread with date* banana, grated chocolate, raisins or jam. These are the jams with the best food values: black currant, gooseberry, strawberry, tree tomato, and red currant Instead of a sweet sandwich you could include any plain cake, biscuit* or date or raisin scone to provide the sweetness a child finds attractive. But do not overdo this, because if your child is in a hurry to eat his lunch to go off to the playing field, he a eat only what he fancies id of the sandwiches which contain the body-build-ing foods from Group 1. Group I—Any raw fruit or vegetable* such as apples, bananas, tomatoe* lettuce or carrot These can bp used in the fillings but should not replace a separate serving of raw fruit or vegetables. School lunches should be attractive and appetising. If they are not they will be thrown into the rubbish tin. Lunches should look good, teste good, and not be different from other children's food.

Csrefal Packing Some mothers would be most upset to see the state of some school lunches by the mid-day break. Packed to an inadequate container, there

are so often reduced to a crumby mess in spite of careful preparation. So a firm lunch box or tin with a neatly fitting lid is essential. Each type of food should be wrapped separately in greaseproof paper or waxed paper. Plastic luncheon bags are of great assistance in keeping food fresh. Never use newspaper as printer's ink can taint the food.

Six points to consider when planning a lunch are these: 1. The season—experience shows that when eggs are dear, tomatoes are not, and when fruit to dear and scarce

carrots and celery are available.

2. Minced meats or fish do hot have to be bought for sandwich fillings but can be left-overs from the previous day. Cook a little extra to supply this. 3. Salad dressing added to the egg filling need not be made especially for the lunch but made for general household use. This, if made properly, will keep well for some time.

4. Some types of tinned fish make reasonably priced sandwiches if eked out with vegetables 5. Some foods mentioned may be difficult to get in tbe country, but probably the egg* vegetable* fruit and expensive meat situation might be easier than in the town.

6. Make sandwiches from any kind of bread, brown, wholemeal, or fruit bread, to offer variety. It to not necessary for a child to have all sandwiches providing he has at least one made of the body-building food* He could then have a jar of jellied fruit or a packet of nut* raisins or dates.

Surprise Bex Children love opening Interesting packages and jar* and it is a good idea to put these in at irregular intervals so that their lunch box is more of a surprise box. On a Monday, when the bread is not fresh, give the child one small slice of bread and butter with a boiled egg or, when eggs are dear, a cold sausage. To make up for the inadequate supply of bread put in a small plastic jar of custard, jelly, jellied fruit, or jellied vegetable* such as peas and beetroot

See that he has a spoon to eat it with. . As children's appetites vary, train your child to bring home all uneaten food. It win give you the best due to hto likes and dislikes and help you to make sure be gets enough of the right food he really need*