School Nutrition
Brief about School Nutrition
Most Pakistani children attend school for 6 to 7 hours a day and consume as much as half of their daily calories at school.
NAFS recommends that schools implement policies and practices to create a nutrition environment that supports students in making healthy choices. A healthy school nutrition environment provides students with nutritious and appealing foods and beverages, consistent and accurate messages about good nutrition, and ways to learn about and practice healthy eating throughout the time children spend on school grounds—including before- and after-school.
Benefits of School Meals
School meals are nutritious. Research shows that students who participate in the school meal programs consume more whole grains, milk, fruits, and vegetables during meal times and have better overall diet quality, than nonparticipants. And, eating breakfast at school is associated with better attendance rates, fewer missed school days, and better test scores. Meals served through these programs must meet specific nutrition requirements which include fruit, vegetables, and whole grains.
Schools can encourage students to participate in the school meal programs by:
- Providing meals that are nutritious and appealing.
- Obtaining input from students and parents about items they would like to see served in the meals.
- Ensuring that students have adequate time to eat their meal (at least 10 minutes for breakfast and 20 minutes for lunch).
- Preventing the overt identification of students who are eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals.