The source of strength for my schoolchild

Anyone who goes to school needs energy. «The best way for primary school pupils to get this is by eating a balanced, varied diet,» says Marianne Honegger from the City of Zurich's school medical service. The nutritionist explains what an ideal snack looks like and how parents can motivate little breakfast grouches to eat.

Mrs Honegger, what does a sensible diet for schoolchildren look like?

Versatile, colourful and covering all food groups. For example, two portions of fruit and three portions of vegetables a day are recommended. These provide a variety of vitamins, minerals, dietary fibres and secondary plant substances. Wholemeal starch products such as rice, cereal flakes, bread or potatoes provide carbohydrates, minerals and dietary fibre. Dairy products, pulses, meat, fish and eggs supplement the meal with protein. Fats and oils provide essential fatty acids.

But which nutrients are considered particularly important at this age?

The recommendations of the food pyramid also apply to children if the quantities are adjusted accordingly. A good supply of calcium and vitamin D is particularly important during growth, as these two substances support optimal bone formation. The best source of calcium is milk and dairy products such as yoghurt and cheese. The body can also absorb calcium well from some vegetables such as broccoli, kale, fennel and leek. Incidentally, around 90 per cent of vitamin D is formed in the skin under the influence of the sun. This is another reason why plenty of outdoor exercise is so important for children!

What and how much should children drink at this age?

Spread out over the day about one litre, on particularly active or hot days of course more - preferably tap water or unsweetened tea.

Let's talk about the first meal of the day. What should an ideal breakfast look like?

Breakfast and snack should provide energy that lasts until lunch. All nutrients are covered with these foods: cereal products, preferably wholemeal bread, smoked bread or oatmeal, muesli mixes with no or as little sugar content as possible, a glass of milk or a portion of cream cheese, cheese or natural yoghurt. In addition, a piece of fruit or a decilitre of unsweetened fruit juice. As a spread, we recommend a little butter or margarine, jam or honey.

If breakfast has a fixed place in the family, it is also part of everyday life for the children.

And breakfast is eaten together at the family table.

Shared meals are important. They offer children the opportunity to learn from their parents when it comes to nutrition. However, an extended family breakfast is hardly feasible in everyday life, with the exception of weekends. It is therefore important that parents offer their children a wholesome breakfast.

What to do with breakfast grouches?

If breakfast has a fixed place in the family, it is also part of everyday life for the children. But we all know this: When we've had a good night's sleep and have time on our hands, we have a greater appetite for a balanced breakfast than on a - perhaps hectic - weekday when everyone has to leave the house early. For children who find it difficult to eat in the morning, we recommend at least having something to drink. A glass of milk or an unsweetened fruit juice will also provide energy and nutrients.

And the snack should then be a little richer.

Exactly, then the rest of breakfast can be made up for at snack time. However, if parents have the opportunity to offer and try out different breakfast options early in the morning, this patience can pay off.

Which foods belong in a snack box?

Ideally, snacks should include an unsweetened drink and a fruit or vegetable. If you don't like breakfast, you can also offer a piece of wholemeal bread or a small sandwich. The same applies to the afternoon snack. Children who regularly skip these snacks can be given fruit cut into bite-sized pieces or pack «children's kebabs» or «robber sandwiches» that they have created themselves. Ask your children what they like to eat from the large selection of sensible snacks. If they can have a say, the likelihood that the snack will be eaten increases, especially if they don't like it.

It goes without saying that sugared iced tea, chocolate bars or butter biscuits are unsuitable for snacks. But what can parents who don't have time in the morning to make a delicious sandwich or creative fruit and vegetable kebabs do?

An apple is quickly washed, a carrot quickly peeled and packed into the snack box together with a handful of nuts, some wholemeal crackers or a piece of bread.

Basically, the more unprocessed a food is, the more recommendable it is. However, there is nothing wrong with replacing a portion of fruit with a smoothie every now and then. However, you should not drink more than a decilitre a day, as they contain fructose in a very compressed form.

What about lifestyle products such as smoothies? Are they a quick and healthy alternative?

No matter how healthy a snack I give my child, when their mate unwraps the sweet treats at break time, my child will inevitably reach for them ...

... and bring the healthy apple home again. That's the way it is. And if this happens from time to time, it's not a problem. A balanced diet also includes sweets - in moderation. However, if this becomes the norm, I would discuss with my child what they would like to eat as a snack. Parents and children can usually agree on a snack that is healthy and tastes good to the child.

And what can parents do if their children have become accustomed to sweet, fatty foods over the years and now hardly like anything else?

A change in flavour preferences takes time and must be approached slowly. For example, you can mix the sweet crunchy muesli with unsweetened cereal flakes and slowly change the mixing ratio in favour of the cereal flakes. And if you don't like fruit and vegetables, be patient and keep offering them. Forcing it doesn't help, setting a good example is much more effective!

Dos and donts

A healthy snack and afternoon snack

  • enthält immer Wasser oder ungesüssten Kräuter- oder Früchtetee
  • besteht aus einer Frucht und/oder einem Gemüse, ist bunt zusammengestellt und zuckerfrei
  • kann je nach körperlicher Anstrengung und Hungergefühl durch ein Getreide- und/oder 
    Milchprodukt sowie mit Nüssen ergänzt werden
  • besteht idealerweise aus Produkten der Saison 

Das darf manchmal sein

  •   Exotische Früchte wie Mango, Ananas, Papaya, am besten in Bioqualität 
  • Trockenfrüchte 
  • Fleisch und Fleischprodukte wie Schinken, Trockenfleisch usw., dabei die fettarmen Varianten wählen 
  • Fruchtsäfte mit Mineralwasser (im Verhältnis 1:3) 

Nur in Ausnahmefällen 

  •   Schokoladen-, Kindermilch- und Getreideriegel 
  •   Gipfeli, Zopf, weisses Toastbrot 
  •   Gezuckerte Frühstückscerealien 
  •   Süsses Gebäck (Biskuits, Früchtekuchen usw.) 
  • Süssgetränke wie Eistee, Sirup, Cola, Energydrinks, künstlich gesüsste Getränke (Lightprodukte) 
  • Gesüsste, aromatische Milchmixgetränke (wie Schokolade) 
  • Fette oder stark gesalzene Produkte wie Salzstangen, Chips, gesalzene Nüsse 

Source: Federal Office of Public Health, Health Promotion Switzerland