Can you believe it?
The Healthy Living Group have found out some shocking news about what the children at Sandfield Close are eating for their packed lunches.
A survey carried out showed that 84% of children had at least one treat but only 44% had any fruit and vegetables. The other concerning finding was that only 60% had a food that contained any protein, essential for our growing bodies. This is not healthy.
The Eco Group looked at the Eat Well plate and found that every child did have a starchy carbohydrate in their packed lunch which is brilliant news as that is what provides us with energy.
Diary foods are also not too much of a concern as 80% of children were having cheese, yogurt or milk and this is good for building strong bones and teeth.
Children's packed lunches were too high in sugar and fats.
To summarise:
*44% of children are eating fruit and vegetables in their, packed lunch but this means that over half are NOT,
*100% of packed lunches contain bread, rice and pasta,
*only 20% are eating meat fish, eggs or beans,
*only 4% of children are drinking milk at lunch time, and
*84% are eating foods high in fat and sugar, surely this is too high.
The Healthy Living Group want everyone at Sandfield to eat well at lunch times. They are trying to educate and encourage children and their parents to bring healthier packed lunches to school.
In the next few weeks Healthy Living Group will:
* add information on the eco blog and in the newsletter,
* at parent interviews parents will get a leaflet about healthy packed lunches,
*they will give out reward and reminder stickers to children, and
* they will send a leaflet home with everyone that has a packed lunch.
Three goals have been set to see if all this hard work is making a positive impact. These are:
* over 50% will have some fruit or veg in their packed lunches,
* 30% will have some protein - meat, fish, eggs or beans, and
* children will only have 1 treat a day that is high in sugar or fat. For example, 1 packet of crisps OR a biscuit not both.