Healthy food at school

Encouraging good parenting and reining in schools are the answer to spiralling obesity, says Noemi Zarb

Maltese children are fatter than their US peers - which is saying a lot given that the States tops the obesity charts in most age groups.

Fingers pointing blame to the easy access to junk food and an acute lack of exercise plus the ills they cause are now making headlines and raising alarm bells. This is almost shamefully ironic given our unprecedented health awareness. But it does show how an overdose of constantly hyped information about healthy eating habits has led to many ears desensitising themselves so that a good number of us who should no better remain too blasé or dependent on processed foods and takeaways.

The root of escalating obesity especially among children lies in what is happening at home. The reality of our high-pressure age has families sit down to meals that come out readily concocted from the freezer and quickly cooked in the microwave and often gobbled up in front of the box. Wholesome home-cooking is becoming history and only surfaces as a passion with dilettantes or the very with time on their hands. Meanwhile, a good number of parents are too busy, too lazy, too poor and too ignorant to feed the family properly at home despite having spent thousands of Liri to flaunt a state-of-the-art kitchen.

Spare me any groans and moans denouncing mothers who go out to work. First of all, very few mothers can afford to stay home given the low salaries struggling to cope with the expensive island we live on. Nor is their any gain from frustrated mothers hankering for a job/career except more frustration and stress. Secondly, and more importantly, mothers who chose or are compelled to stay at home do not automatically guarantee healthy meals. And why should the onus invariably fall on the women? How about husbands and fathers rolling up their sleeves too?

Switch to the school front where the situation is ludicrous and only points to unscrupulous profits. Why children have been offered toxin and calorie laden snacks/lunches at their school tuck shop/canteen should have never been institutionalised in the first place. And why allow kids to choose from a spread of a fat dripping and sugary rubbish? Make no mistake, they are going to binge on chips, burgers, pastizzi, pizza, crisps and sweets because they lack the knowledge and the discipline to eat sensibly.

Children should have no choice at all and be fed variations of brown rice, wholemeal pasta, vegetable salads and brown or pitta bread sandwiches followed by fruit. These are precisely the type of foods that ensure slow burning energy levels, essential proteins, vitamins and minerals (particularly iron and calcium). Incidentally, fizzies and packaged fruit juices (which aggravate tooth decay) should also be dumped in favour of water and milk. Nor is it uncommon to see hawkers selling sweets and other unhealthy grub just outside a school gate.

It's all very well to promote a healthy breakfast cum lunch. Yet for all its good intentions, a promo is still a promo. What is happening on a daily basis inevitably unfolds into the long term. If it takes legislation and strict law enforcement to provide healthy food at school then a White Paper - cleverly drawn to beat fast food chains at their own game - is long overdue. But before getting a move on tough talk, let's keep well in mind that loopholes and passing the buck in any law are intrinsic to legislation while flying laws in the face is a national trait. Nor does it speak highly of us if we expect the government to solve the deep and far-reaching problems of Generation XXL whose obesity is being touted as the 21st century epidemic.

It is hardly surprising to find several parents stuffing their children and themselves with unhealthy food despite rallying calls to eat more organically grown, fresh fruit and vegetables as well as oily fish high in omega-3 fatty acids (fresh salmon, mackerel, tuna and sardines) that are crucial for brain function. Yet how many of our local crops are organically grown? What importance is given to standards of hygiene in the kitchen, be it at school or at home?

Back to the home front, how many parents think of nutrition while preparing their children's school lunches as they scramble to get uniforms dressed, tear after school buses or whisk their offspring to school, all before their own work day kicks off? Packed school lunches are therefore, highly indicative of how health conscious parents are or should be.

Coming to grips with what is good for your children's school lunch and winning them over to eat it means getting them started on a healthy diet from Day One. So don't encourage your babies and toddlers to gorge themselves on sweets and processed foods. If they have been doing so, wean them out of junk food and empty calories gradually and subtly. You've got to be amusing and tenacious even if you are gritting your teeth all along.

The lunch box begins with size which is primarily determined by the child's age and length of school day. Sandwiches are the traditional staples of choice. Rightly so. For sandwiches are more than practical. But go for brown bread because its slow-burning, high fibre content plus a nutritious filling is just the thing to boost flagging energy and concentration levels. Far from a fattening stodge, brown bread contains a wealth of carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins. Remember to use butter since it is a thousand times healthier than the much-touted, yet lethal, low fat spreads.

However, the rut of layering fresh cheese is ultimately boring even for the least fussy student. You will also find yourself stumped if either of the above is on your child's hate food list. A cheese sandwich can be easily pepped up with a few thin slices of cucumber and tomatoes. Tomatoes are a rich source of vitamins C and E. A handful of fresh lettuce leaves also helps to retain the freshness of the bread while stepping up the fibre intake. But don't badger young children with nutritional values. Keep it simple. Tell them it's as delicious as it looks and make sure that they are watching you while you have a bite.

Occasionally, wedge in slices of chicken (preferably free range) or roasted meat that may be leftover from yesterday's dinner. It is also a good idea to add a chicken breast or two to your usual roast specifically for the purpose. In this way you will find it readily available in the morning. Some ketchup adds a favourite flavour while providing a break from tomatoes that tend to get watery during the winter months.

Try to steer clear from the pre-packed sliced cheese no matter how convenient it is. Rather, opt for real cheese such as feta or the softer Edam. Furthermore, a sprinkle of grated raw carrot (rich in Vitamin A and carotene) does wonders to any cheese sandwich. Remember that children often prefer raw vegetables - so play their tune to step up their intake of precious vitamins and minerals.

If your teenager is going through the calorie-counting phase (or your child is seriously overweight), you'll have to forget the cheese and pile up the vegetables instead. You can also experiment with rikotta. A hummus spread offers another winner. An ideal alternative to animal protein spreads, it not only provides a change, but also enables you to opt for pitta bread, that in itself provides ample opportunity to stuff with favourite fillings.

Having come this far - think fruit. Presenting fresh fruit as Hobson's choice for dessert or a quick nibble is not being a health freak. Besides, this is what helps your children to cut down on endless packets of fattening sweets and savouries and make hyperactive children even more so.

Your packed school lunch is done. But before you sigh with relief that your children are finally on their way to school, make sure that they have had breakfast even if there's only time for a glass of milk.

Vegetables, fish, meat, wholegrain pasta and rice are staples of a balanced diet when it comes to mealtimes. You don't need to be Jamie Oliver to prepare a tasty, nutritious dinner and show that you care for your children. Uninspired? There's a small but spot-on selection of cookery books aimed at healthy and delicious meals for children without the need to spend hours in the kitchen. So grab one or two plus treat yourself and the whole family to a good walk - at least at the weekend.