SCHOOL MEALS –
The beginning Food, glorious food!
what’s it
all about?
December 2008
gggggggg
The Problem
For young people, a balanced
and nutritious diet is
essential, not only for healthy
growth and emotional well
being, but also to do better in
school. The diets of many young
people fall short of national
dietary recommendations –
it’s already well known that
poor diet is significantly
contributing to Scotland’s poor
health record.
We all enjoy food – sometimes too
much, sometimes not enough! The
enormous range of tastes and
textures at our disposal is
fantastic – there’s something for
everyone. But how do you decide what
is “right for you”? How do you get
your body to perform as efficiently
as the motor car – presumably by
sticking in the right blend of fuel,
giving it a regular run and getting
the occasional service! Would you
like to know more? – Please read on.
Alm
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obe 5
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the Solution >>> the Facts >>> the Plan >>>>>>>>>>>
The
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...
Energy is our body’s fuel.
We get energy from what we eat
and drink. Different foods
give us different kinds of
energy. To feel good, we have
to get enough of the right
kind of energy, so we have to
eat and drink enough of the
right things. Calories are the
units of energy contained in
the food and drink we consume.
Calories are either burned to
produce energy or, if excess
to requirements, stored as
fat. What you’ll often find on
food packaging, are references
to the amount of calories in
the food. In nutrition terms,
calories = kilocalories and
are used interchangeably.
2
43
1
5
Check
how m
Only 12%
of 5-15 y
ear
olds are
eating th
e
recommend
ed five po
rtions
a day.
uch fa
t, suga
What is
H
per 100 IGH
g
What is
M
per 100 EDIUM
g
ls
e
b
a
L
..
s
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Food
o
e sh
h
t
in
Some food products have traffic light labels
on the front of the pack to show you
at-a-glance if the food you are thinking
about buying has high, medium or low
amounts of fat, saturated fat, sugars and
salt, helping you get a better balance.
In addition to traffic light colours you
will also see the number of grams of fat,
saturated fat, sugars and salt in what
the manufacturer or retailer suggests as a
‘serving’ of the food.
So, if you see a red light on the front
of the pack, you know the food is high
in something you should be trying to cut
down on. It’s fine to have to have the
What is
L
per 100 OW
g
r and s
Sugars
alt is in
over
15g
Fat
your fo
od
Satura
tes
over
20g
over
5g
Salt
over
1.5g
betwee
n betw
een b
5g
etween
3g
betwee
and
n
1.5g
15g
5g
and
below
and
20g
3g
and
below
0.3g
and
1.5g
and
5g
1.5g
and
below
0.3g
and
below
food occasionally, or as a treat, but try
to keep an eye on how often you choose
these foods, or try eating them in smaller
amounts.
If you see amber, you know the food isn’t
high or low in fat, sugar or salt, so this
is an OK choice most of the time, but you
might want to go green for that nutrient
some of the time.
Green means the food is low in fat, sugar
or salt. The more green lights, the
healthier the choice.
If you want to eat a healthy diet, one
of the key things you should be doing
is trying to cut down on fat (especially
saturated fat), salt and added sugars.
Total fat
Fat
what is high and
what is
low?
High is more th
an 20g fat
per 100g
Low is 3g fat or
less per
100g
s
Th
e
Fact
You get a lot of energy
from fat. All food contains energy. But fatty foods
like chips, fried chicken and burgers often contain
more energy than we need in a balanced diet.
Most fast food (including many supermarket ready
meals and convenience foods) is very dense in
calories. Our bodies were never designed to cope
with such energy dense foods. Diets high in fast
foods will increase a persons risk of weight gain and
obesity.
A teaspoon of fat has about 45 kilocalories, which
can provide enough energy for you to play sport for
about six and a half minutes. Fat has more than
twice the energy of carbohydrates (starchy foods and
sugars) and protein (typically meat, dairy, fish).
s
Trouble is, if you don’t run around or play sports,
then the extra energy may not be used up and can get
stored as extra fat in your body – usually ending
up in places you don’t want it! Eventually fatty
deposits can end up clogging up the blood vessels of
the heart. The nutritional values of fatty foods are
also generally low.
Eating too much salt can raise your blood pressure and people with high blood
pressure are three times more likely to develop heart disease or have a stroke
than people with normal blood pressure.
We only need a very small amount of salt in our
diet (for teenagers and adults the most we should
eat is about a teaspoon a day). It is very easy to
find salty foods, and many of us eat far more salt
than is healthy for us. About three-quarters (75%)
of the salt we eat comes in processed foods. Salt
is an ingredient in most bread, breakfast cereal,
soup, baked beans, biscuits and lots and lots of
other foods. In fact, most manufacturers add so
much salt to our food that there is generally no
need to add any extra salt, because most of us are
already eating too much.
Some food manufactuers are naughty T! using terms like lightly salted.
U
O
H
WATC
Such products could actually contain
more salt then regular products from other
manufacturers. Only the agreed definition Low Salt
means the products must be genuinely lower in salt.
Salt = sodium x 2 . 5
>>> more Facts >>>
t
l
a
S
Total
salt
What’s
high a
nd wha
low?
t’s
High i
s
salt p more than 1.
er 100
5g
g (or
sodium
0.6g
)
Low is
0
per 10 .3g salt or
0g (or
l
0.1g s ess
odium)
salt
t for by 2010
e
g
r
a
t
y
er da
ound
nment
Goverke is 6g pitting ar
inta rrently s
- cu er day!
9g p
>>>>>>>>>>>
Total sugar
r
a
g
Su
What is high and what is low?
Sugars (simple carbohydrates) come in
natural form in fruit and vegetables
but are more commonly consumed as
refined sugars in soft drinks, sweets,
biscuits, chocolate and processed
foods. Complex carbohydrates
(eg bananas, brown rice, wholemeal
products, potatoes, oats) provide
a slower and more sustained release
of energy than simple carbohydrates.
A diet too high in carbohydrates
(especially simple) can upset the
delicate balance of your body’s blood
sugar level, resulting in fluctuations
in energy and mood that can leave you
feeling irritated and tired.
It’s easy to consume more energy than
we need because sugar is added to so
many foods and drinks such as fizzy soft
drinks, biscuits and cakes. These items
urn off
w that to b
Did you kno
after
s consumed
e
i
r
o
l
a
c
e
h
t
r or
hocolate ba
c
g
0
5
a
g
n
eati
u need
y drink, yo
a 500ml fizz
vigorous
minutes of
some 25-30
exercise?
fact
Intake of
sugars by 3-16
year olds in
Scotland is
nearly double
Government
targets.
High is more than 15g sugars per 100g
Low is 5g sugars or less per 100g
give a quick burst of energy, but
the effect fades and soon you may
want another drink or more food.
When your body has more sugar than
it needs for energy it begins to
convert the sugar into body fat and
stores it. So if you don’t do enough
exercise, and keep on eating lots
of sugar, your body could become
bigger and bigger.
The energy provided by sugar is
sometimes called ‘empty calories’
because sugar doesn’t provide
anything else except energy. Sugar
doesn’t contain any of the proteins,
minerals or vitamins that your body
needs. Each gram of sugar has about
4 kilocalories of energy - but
that’s all - it provides no other
nutritional benefit.
New wave
energy d
rinks
If you are consuming highly caffeinated, so called
‘energy’ drinks (Red Bull, Rockstar and Monster amongst
others) as a remedy for lack of sleep, to boost flagging
energy levels or simply because it’s ‘cool’, then please
think carefully. These drinks have cafffeine dosages up
to three and even four times higher than a typical cola
drink and are also high in sugar (or chemical
sweeteners). The trouble is, consumption
of such drinks can quickly become
addictive, with energy highs
followed quickly by energy lows. High
consumption has been shown to result in
side effects including irregular heart beat,
rapid heart rate, sleep disruption and
severe fatigue. Even low consumption may cause
restlessness, irratibility, attention deficit and
headaches. These drinks are confusing the
body’s own energy producing systems and are
best avoided during the school day at least!
The
on
i
t
a
l
s
i
g
Le
The Schools (Health Promotion and
Nutrition) (Scotland) Act 2007 has
two main themes – health promotion
in schools and the provision of food & drink in schools. It places
health promotion at the heart of schools’ activities and ensures
that food and drink served in schools meets new food standards
& nutritional requirements.
Children and young people need the right balance of food and
nutrients to develop and grow. Healthy eating is about getting that
balance right in order to provide enough of the important nutrients (such as
vitamins, minerals and protein) and fibre without too much fat (especially
saturated fat), sugar and salt.
A good diet is essential for good health. It is therefore important that
teenagers are encouraged to adopt healthy life-long eating habits. That’s why
school meals have changed – trying to promote an appropriate balance of foods
(see the Eatwell Plate on the following pages). We have had to really restrict
salty and sugary foods because the new food and drink standards for schools have
been developed with the knowledge that young people will still be consuming
salty and sugary foods outwith school.
e
s
i
c
xer
School Meals
must offer:
Lots more… A choice
of at least 2 types
of fruit and of
vegetables must be
provided every day, a
variety of breads which
must include brown or
wholemeal and healthier
drinks such as water,
fruit juice and semiskimmed milk will be
available
Less of… menus must not
contain more than 3
deep fried items in a
single week and chips
can only be provided
as part of a meal.
Salt & condiments are
particularly restricted
Not allowed… No
confectionery at all
(includes cereal bars),
no salty snacks (such
as crisps) and no
sugary drinks.
E
e
h
T
To be healthy, you need at least one hour of physical
activity per day, but in Scotland, 27% of boys and 40% of
girls are not doing this.
With a balanced diet, regular physical activity and the
confidence to make healthy lifestyle choices you will have
more energy, have a more positive and happy outlook, have
better concentration, stay at a healthy weight, get fewer
illnesses, feel less stressed, not get bored so easily
and sleep better!
Apart from burning calories, it’s good to remember the
heart is a muscle and if it’s worked it will become
stronger. We only have one heart so let’s look after it.
The good news is you don’t need to be athletic to gain
real health benefits. Brisk walking, cycling and swimming
are excellent forms of physical activity. Skipping or
kicking a ball around, climbing stairs instead of taking
lifts are also excellent forms of exercise.
Being physically active helps prevent
you
e
r
a
weight gain, improves blood
at ng for?
does
h
W
tive h
i
circulation, reduces
c
a
t
i
y
c
wa
to
call
s mu
cholesterol, increases bone
hysi nsume a Refer
p
g
!
n
o
g
e
i
density, helps keep reflexes
c
n
k
e
i
i
b
n
llow
ou l
ay,
u ca
sharp and improves
he w mean yo te as y the fo to
t
y
n
B
coordination. Physical
not chocolaplate o ll need
i
r
t
l
o
s
l
ake.
e
activity also releases
d
foo e Eatw s – you our int
th
chemicals in the brain
page lance y
ba
called endorphins which help
us feel happier and more alert.
Other chemicals called
neurotransmitters are also
released which help to
suppress appetite.
The
FAQs
How do you decide
on the menu?
We follow guidance from
the Scottish Government,
this includes information
about:
• Portion sizes
• What foods are
allowed
Where have all the fr
ied foods gone?
You’ll still see them on the menu, but only up to three
times per week (including oven baked pre-fried foods).
These new food standards have been introduced to try
and encourage you to eat a variety of food –
the key to having a balanced diet.
of cola,
If you drink a 500ml bottle
und
aro
e
sum
con
you will typically
turn
in
s
Thi
ar.
13 teaspoons of sug
ies.
lor
oca
kil
will provide some 200
5
in
and
Drink a bottle a day
7,000
weeks you will have consumed
ies is
lor
oca
kil
kilocalories. 7,000
fat.
y
bod
of
am
equal to one kilogr
• How often certain
foods can appear on
the menu, for example
chips.
We aim to provide you with
a third of your daily
nutritional requirement in
an average school meal.
t
c
a
f
I enjoy chocolate and fizzy drinks – what can I do?
The Scottish Government want schools to lead by example; this is why
we don’t sell chocolate and fizzy drinks any more. But outside school
you can still have chocolate and fizzy drinks, but try to have them
less often.
Chocolate contains large amounts of sugar and fat. It is high in
energy (calories) but provides very few nutrients such as protein,
vitamins, minerals and fibre. Such items also displace other more
nutritious food from the diet.
The drinks have changed because research shows that drinking a lot
of sugary soft drinks has been one of the reasons for so many young
people and adults becoming overweight in Scotland. We’ve stopped
selling other drinks because they can cause dental decay and dental
erosion (thinning of the enamel).
You’ll still find macaroni cheese on the
I used to have macaroni
menu but not as often. When we sold
cheese every day - why
macaroni cheese every day many pupils
can’t I have it any more? ate it every day. The service has
developed to try to encourage you to eat
a variety of food – this is the key to
having a balanced diet.
You sell fruit juice – can I drink as much as I like?
Processed fruit can be confusing. Fruit juices and
smoothies (200ml maximum) can only be counted once towards
your recommended five portions of fruit and veg per day.
This is because when fruit is processed the sugars are
released from the whole fruit cell structure and become
what are known as free sugars which cause dental decay and
dental erosion. Fruit juices are best drunk at mealtimes.
I eat what I li
ke and I feel ok
what’s the prob
– so
lem?
When you’re a teenager it’s difficult to picture yourself in the future.
If you don’t eat well you might feel okay now, but research shows that what
you eat when you’re a teenager will affect your health as an adult!
You may think you feel good but you’ll probably find you’ll begin to feel
even better if you start to eat a variety of foods, regularly. Remember to
include plenty of fruit and vegetables and the energy boosting starchy foods
such as bread, rice and pasta (preferably brown/wholemeal).
Can I be underweight?
Yes – girls in particular. External influences that
depict the body beautiful can be a prime cause of
girls to have the wrong image about the size and
shape of their bodies. This can cause a person to
eat very little and thereby miss out on important
nutrients, become very underweight and prone to
infection. If you think you may be affected, please
have a chat with your school nurse, your GP or your
best friend. They should all be able to encourage
you in some way back to a balanced diet, whereupon
your body has the best chance of being a healthy
body – and a healthy body is a beautiful body!
k your
If you want to chec
look at:
e
we
a
weight – have
www.eatwell.go
v.uk/healthydi
et/
healthyweight/
heightweightch
art
How can I “balance”
my meal?
Choose plenty of variety
and choose something from
the four main food groups
on the Eatwell Plate at
each meal. Try to avoid
having more than one item
from the ‘foods and drinks
high in fat and sugar’
group. It’s not necessary
to follow the model at
every meal, but rather over
a day or two.
more
FAQs
special do?
a
n
o
m
I’
at do I
h
w
–
t
die
Speak to the ‘Cook
in Charge’, she’ll
be able to give you
all the information
you need. You’ll
need to arrange for
a form to be filled
in by a doctor or
Dietitian. We ask
you to do this so
that we can ensure
we’re providing you
with the correct
food. When we have
this information
we’ll be able to
arrange your lunch
very quickly.
Your prices could be
better!
We thought they were pretty
good. School meals are
subsidised and provide good
value for money overall.
This subsidy helps ensure
good quality ingredients
are used from reputable
suppliers – and therein
lies the difference.
Some retailers will use
ingredients of a lower
standard to keep their
prices low – these are
often products containing
little nutritional value.
If you or someone you know would like a copy of
this document in another language or format,
(on occasion, only a summary of the document
will be provided in translation), this can be arranged
by contacting Catering Support on 01738 XXXXXX.
The End –
Your
action plan
You know that a good
diet is essential if
you’re going to get
the best out of life!
A healthy and varied
diet not only helps you
maintain a healthy body
weight but will enhance
your general wellbeing
and reduce the risk of a
number of diseases that
include heart disease,
stroke, some types of
cancer, diabetes and
osteoporosis.
If your eating habits
are out of kilter with
what you’ve read here –
don’t panic. Simply try
to make gradual changes
to your eating habits,
perhaps over the next
year – write down what
you are going to do and
try to record what you
typically eat now and
repeat this process
next year – hopefully
by comparison of your
food record from one
year to the next, you’ll
see (and feel!) the
achievements you have
made.
Most of all – enjoy
your food. Plus, if you
can get into the habit
of cooking or helping
when your parents cook,
you’ll begin to be
inspired by the riches
and diversity that meals
prepared from fresh
food’s can offer.
If you want to learn a
little more, why not
visit:
Council Text Phone Number 01738 442573
Designed by Chief Executive’s Service (2008248 - Dec 08)
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not s the
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nut ith i labelle ood
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riti
ed d
o
info nal or ient,
rma
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Thi
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and elopm art of
e
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l be nt pla our
Is there ever
soo availa ns
anything new to try?
ble
n.
Frequently! Our cooks are encouraged to
continually submit new recipe ideas for
nutritional analysis – once approved these recipes
make guest appearances on the menu where we seek
pupil opinion! Many new dishes have come from
pupil suggestions. Food and drink manufacturers
too are continually developing more options that
meet the new nutritional standards which they
send to us to try out. We are listening to you
and endeavouring to give you different choices
on a regular basis. Some of the new services we
have recently developed are a baguette bar, pasta
station, kiosk service, fresh food vending – all
this along with meal deals, increased vegetarian
options and a well stocked Deli counter –
excellent!
yeating
www.nutrition.org.uk/health
All Council Services can offer a telephone translation facility
uk
[email protected].
Feedback welcome: ecscateri
www.eatwell.
gov.uk