Fordham Primary School Healthy Lunch

Salt

Having too much salt in your diet can cause high blood pressure, which can lead to heart disease. Some loaves of bread and processed foods contain high levels of salt. Children should only have 5g of salt a day.

Fizzy drinks lead to weakness in children’s bones and they are also high in sugar. Water is vital for your child so they do not feel thirsty; they have better physical and mental performance, better social behaviour and better bladder and bowel control (inc. Less bed wetting).

Recent surveys have found that obese children are 20% more likely to develop cancer as adults than those children of a healthy

We need calcium to keep our bones healthy. Vitamin D and exercise helps the calcium to be absorbed into the bones. Calcium can be found in fortified dairy foods and fish oils. Bones can become soft if they are not kept healthy.

Too many fatty foods and lack of exercise can lead to obesity; this is becoming a serious concern in children. Obese or overweight children have a 70% chance of being overweight as adults. Being overweight can cause the adult-onset diabetes.

Foods that come from plants, such as cereals, grains, seeds, pulses, fruit and vegetables ( and starchy foods such as wholegrain bread, cereals and pasta as well as brown rice) all contain fibre. Fibre helps to reduce cholesterol and helps to maintain a healthy bowel function.

If you are eating high fibre foods, it is important that you drink lots of fluids.

Iron is required to prevent anaemia. It helps in the production of red blood cells. It is these cells that carry the oxygen around the body. The best source of iron is found in red meat but it can also be found in dried beans, pulses and fruits, nuts and seeds and green leafy vegetables. Some breakfast cereals have been fortified with iron.

A high fat diet can cause heart disease. The arteries that carry the blood to the heart thicken as they get clogged up with layers of cholesterol. This is waxy, fatty substance found in the blood, which is only needed in small amounts. The body produces all it needs so any excess cholesterol gets absorbed by the arteries. As the layers build up, it causes blockages. This can lead to heart attacks and strokes.

Foods with a high sugar content give children a sudden boost of energy such as chocolate, sweets, some drinks etc. This energy lowers quickly after the initial boost. Children then become tired and lack concentration in lessons. Food such as bananas give children energy which is released slowly so they can maintain concentration without becoming hyperactive.

Our body needs a variety of vitamins and minerals to stay healthy. Without these, your body’s immune system is lowered so you may become ill more often and it can lead to deficiency disorders. Vitamins and minerals are found in lots of different foods but high levels are found in fruit and vegetables. You should eat 5-7 portions of different fruit and vegetables a day. 100% fruit juices count as 1 portion but they can only count once a day.