School menus, complete your diet

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...

• Currently school kitchens and catering are supported by a nutritionist and dietician.
• At lunch and dinner the following foods must always be present: vegetables, cereals and legumes, proteins (meat, fish, eggs) and dessert (dairy or fruit).
• At breakfasts and snacks it is not advisable to take pastries or sweets.

Nowadays, and more and more, school kitchens and catering that serve schools and institutes, usually, although not always, have advice from dietetic and nutrition professionals to guarantee adequate menus to the nutritional needs of children and youth. Thus, parents with children who eat in a school canteen will have the task of ensuring a good diet for their children both outside and inside the home.

To adequately complement our children's intakes, we are going to try to have some notions about the different food groups, and about the structuring of meals throughout the day.

Main food groups:

• Vegetables and vegetables: Aubergines, tomatoes, carrots, chard, peppers, courgettes, cabbages ...
• Cereals and legumes: Rice, pasta, bread, lentils, chickpeas, peas, corn, white beans ...
• Protein foods: Meat, fish and eggs. Although legumes are also considered more protein than other vegetables.
  • Meats: We differentiate between red, veal and beef and most parts of the pork, and white meats, which are poultry, rabbit and pork loin.
  • : Anchovies, salmon, emperor, swordfish… and whites: Gallineta, sole, hake, cod, whiting… And there are semi-fatty ones such as monkfish, conger eel… although they are generally considered white.
• Fruits: We are going to distinguish between those richest in vitamin C and those that are not so rich. Rich in vitamin C will be all citrus fruits, Kiwi, ... And not so rich are apples, pears, grapes ...
• Dairy: Milk, yogurt, cheese ... Sweetened dairy desserts such as custard, rice pudding, ice cream, products with cream ... will be less commonly consumed than the previous ones.
• Fats: In our Mediterranean culture, we should always choose olive oil, as it has proven cardiovascular benefits. If it is not possible for us, we could choose seed oils, such as sunflower oil.

Structuring meals throughout the day:

Breakfast: It is a very important intake as it is done after hours of fasting and will influence performance during the morning. It should include a dairy, cereal, and fruit.

Mid-morning and snack: These are snack foods in which it is not advisable to always eat sweet foods such as pastries. It is recommended to offer in these intakes cereals, fruits, nuts and dairy products. Being able to accompany protein foods, for example in sandwiches. We must avoid abusing fatty sausages, fatty cheeses, patés and cocoa creams as the usual choice.

Ex.1 A fruit and a drinkable yogurt in the morning and a Serrano ham sandwich in the afternoon. For a boy or girl who is more active in the afternoon. If, on the contrary, you are more active in the morning, eg 2 A sandwich of cooked ham and cheese in the morning and a bowl of yogurt with fruit and nuts for a snack.

Lunch and dinner: must have the same structure

Main food of the first course + main food of the second + garnish + dessert

And four valid formulas would be:

• Vegetables or vegetables + meat or fish or eggs + cereals or legumes + dessert: dairy and / or fruit.
  • Eg 1º Cooked vegetables 2º Blue fish with rice and dairy dessert.
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• Vegetables or vegetables + legumes + cereals + dessert: dairy and / or fruit.
  • Eg 1st Complete green salad 2nd Lentils with rice and Fruit.
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• Vegetables or vegetables + cereals or legumes + meat or fish or egg + dessert: dairy and / or fruit.
  • Eg 1st Cooked vegetables or green salad 2nd Fish Paella and Dairy dessert and / or fruit.
• Cereals + meat or fish or egg + vegetables or vegetables + dessert: dairy and / or fruit.
  • Eg 1st Pasta 2nd Chicken fillet with seasoned tomato and Fruit.
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