Healthy eating at school? It’s worth considering!

9th December 2021


Whilst some schools try to promote healthy eating (and even send out messages claiming that they review packed lunches to make sure they don’t contain certain items) the reality appears to be quite different.

School dinners can be quite hit and miss – whilst many will attempt to offer a balanced meal, there will often be an (unnecessary) sweet element such as a cake, muffin, or cookie. If you have concerns, it might be worth querying with your child’s school but given the limited budget for school dinners, many will claim they are powerless to improve the situation.

We’ve talked before about how schools should be one place where children are guaranteed a healthy meal (even if things aren’t going so well at home) but for anyone giving their child a packed lunch it’s important to think about what goes in there to ensure our children’s general and dental health.

At Coppice View Dental Care, we still spend a lot of our time dealing with children who have decay in their baby teeth (which is caused by too much sugar and or acidity in their diet). This entirely preventable problem causes a great deal of discomfort and suffering for those children affected and there is really no excuse for any child to experience this.

Infants and primary school children are completely reliant on their family or carers to provide them with a health and balanced diet (and to promote good oral care/toothbrushing). It’s so important to try and avoid too many sugary foods/snacks – you might feel it’s a “treat”, but with dental decay, obesity and type 2 diabetes all becoming more widespread, it’s critical that we do what we can to set our children out on the right path towards good health. No child wants the “treat” of an unscheduled visit to their dentist to deal with toothache.

What is the right balance for a packed lunch?

The Eatwell Guide from the NHS gives a clear indication of the proportions that any meal should contain to main good general health. Though this is shown as a plate, remember that exactly the same guidelines apply for a packed lunch!

As ever, your dental team is here to help so if you’ve any queries at all, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Mike

01423 503 428

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Coppice View Dental Care
104 Kings Road, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG1 5HH