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The Wonders of Excellent Food for Excellent Education

The Wonders of Excellent Food for Excellent Education . Nutrition at Cognita. Importance of healthy eating for children. Our responsibility to provide healthy school meals. Improve awareness of healthy eating using nutrition initiatives in and around the dining room.

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The Wonders of Excellent Food for Excellent Education

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  1. The Wonders of Excellent Food for Excellent Education

  2. Nutrition at Cognita Importance of healthy eating for children. Our responsibility to provide healthy school meals. Improve awareness of healthy eating using nutrition initiatives in and around the dining room.

  3. What is a Balanced Diet?

  4. Common Nutritional Issues in Childhood & Adolescence • Irregular eating patterns / skipping breakfast • Eating disorders • Food allergy and intolerance • Iron deficient anaemia • Poor growth and development

  5. Importance of Breakfast  Breakfast eating is associated with: • Improved nutritional status, especially for vitamins and minerals because many breakfast cereals are fortified with micronutrients. • Healthier body weight and less likelihood of being overweight. • Healthier lifestyle behaviours, such as increased physical activity and less snacking later in the day. (Timlinet al., 2007 ; Ruxton and Kirk, 1997; de la Hunty and Ashwell, 2006; Cueto, S. (2001); Ells et al., 2008)

  6. Slow Release Carbohydrates for Sustained Energy Throughout the Day

  7. Promoting a Healthy Body Weight & Image • Overweight: In 2011/12, almost a third of 10-11 year olds and over a fifth of 4-5 year olds were overweight or obese. • Underweight: is associated with being unable to concentrate, extreme tiredness, increased infection rates and reduced amounts of physical activity in childhood. Can often develop into an eating disorder, particularly in girls. • 40% of girls begin dieting in adolescence. • Anorexia nervosa is the 1/3 most common chronic illness in adolescence. (The Health and Social Care Information Centre, 2012; Nicholls and Viner, 2005; Weichselbaum and Buttriss, 2011)

  8. Food Allergy & Intolerances • Food allergy – an abnormal immunological reaction to a specific food. • Food intolerance – a reproducible, unpleasant reaction to a specific food. • Both difficult to diagnose. • True food allergy affects 5-8% of children. • Restrictive diets due to perceived allergies and intolerances are common and potentially harmful. (Food Standards Agency, 2008; Crawley, 2005)

  9. Iron Deficiency and School Performance • Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in young people in the UK. • Adolescent boys and girls have a higher requirement for iron. • 58% of teenage girls were found to have inadequate intakes in the most recent National Diet and Nutrition Survey. • 9% were suffering from anaemia. • Symptoms include: • Lack of energy • Extreme tiredness • Loss of appetite • Breathlessness • Iron deficiency can affect educational performance. A study of over 700 teenage girls found that even mild iron deficiency resulted in lower scores in a verbal learning test. (Crawley, 2005 ; Department of Health, 2011 ; Caroline Walker Trust, 2005; Weichselbaum and Buttriss, 2011; Bruner et al., 1996 cited in Cook, 1999)

  10. Growth and Development • Rapid rise in bone density during puberty. • Nutrition and physical activity play a vital role in achieving peak bone mass. • Calcium needs are greatest during puberty than at any other time and yet 13% of both girls and boys aged 11-18 years had an intake below the recommended daily amount (NDNS, 2008/9-2009-10). • Adequate exposure to sunlight is also required for vitamin D production. (Crawley, 2005 ; Department of Health, 2011)

  11. Food for Sport • Eating a varied and balanced diet, containing plenty of starchy carbohydrates will ensure there is sufficient energy to fuel a good performance. • Regular meal patterns will also ensure the muscles contain plenty of glycogen for energy. • Dehydration can really affect sports performance, both mentally and physically, and cause muscle cramps, dizziness and a drop in stamina. • Match teas should also reflect the need to replace the energy lost during the game. (British Dietetic Association, 2011)

  12. Evidence to support schoolfood initiatives • The intervention: nutritionally balanced meals, holding healthy eating workshops, taster sessions and themed weeks and changing the decor in the dining rooms. • The findings: pupils were more likely to be engaged and able to concentrate and learn after lunch, than those who had eaten a standard lunch. • This study was followed by a similar study in 11 secondary schools where the same interventions were used to assess learning related behaviour after lunch. • In this study, the pupils were 18% more likely to engaged and able to concentrate after lunch. (The Children’s Food Trust, 2009; Storey et al., 2011 )

  13. Our ultimate goal is to inspire the children in Cognita schools to develop a life-long positive relationship with food and to see the benefit of this in their academic and sporting achievements

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