HEALTHY

EATING
GUIDE
HEALTHY
EATING
GUIDE
INTRODUCTION
Dear Principal, Educators, Parents, School Tuck Shop staff and other
stakeholders in the school community,

In presenting this Healthy Food Guide, the Woolworths Making The

Difference team and the Western Cape Education Department is
delighted to take our participation in South African schools’ nutrition
and promotion of healthy lifestyles to a new level.

We hope that this user-friendly guide will assist your school in pro-
viding children with important opportunities to make healthier eating
choices every day. The school environment provides a vital context
not only for children to learn about healthy eating and healthy
lifestyles, but also for them to put knowledge into practice. South
African school children face nutritional challenges that range from
malnutrition to obesity. Schools can help to make the difference by
ensuring that food provided on the school grounds meets the stand-
ards of good nutrition for children. This is especially important in
communities where parents struggle to provide good food for their
children. The need to ensure that school tuck shops and vendors
provide nutritious food for children is a world-wide concern. In more
and more countries, states and communities, what food can or can’t
be sold to children is even becoming part of legislation.

Many South African schools are well-aware of the need for healthier
eating at school and we can all expect the demand for healthy
tuck shops to keep growing. We use the term ‘tuck shop’ here to
describe the different school systems of food provision. Whether
your school provides cooked lunches, traditional tuck shop foods,
just snacks or is reliant on vendors, this guide is designed to help you
to ensure your school is a healthy food provider.

As with any transformation, it may help to phase in changes over

time. What is crucial is that you communicate effectively with your
school community so there is clear understanding and widespread
support.
The Healthy Eating guide is brought to you by Woolworths, the
Western Cape Education Department, Sports Science Institute of
South Africa (SSISA) in association with dieticians Shelly Meltzer &
Associates. It is based on the latest expertise on healthy eating. As
part of its Good business journey, Woolworths is committed to shar-
ing its expertise with South African schools in order to enhance the
educational experience of our children.

THANKS

The development of this guide has taken place over a number of

years involving teams of nutritional experts who have conducted re-
search at South African schools, explored the international scenario
and applied their dietary expertise.

THIS GUIDE INCLUDES THE WORK OF:

Shelly Meltzer, JennyAnn Smuts and Lauren Tanchel of Shelly

Meltzer and Associates

Maryke Van Zyl – Woolworths Consultant Dietician

Karin Carstensen – Woolworths Technical Manager: Legal Policies

Cindy Chin – Woolworths Dietician

CONTENT Woolworths and the Western Cape
Education Department are delighted
to present the following Healthy
food guide for schools to promote
availability and accessibility to
healthy food options in the school
space.

1 Why should healthy food options be

promoted and provided at schools?

2 Healthy Food Options in Schools’: A

School Policy

3 A Healthy Eating Communication

Strategy

4 The Dietician’s Nutrition Information

for food options in the school space.

5 Ideas for delicious,

healthy lunches

6 Ideas for tasty,

nutritious snacks

7 Ideas for delicious and

nourishing drinks
ON
WHY IS
HEALTHY EATING
AT SCHOOL
IMPORTANT?
HERE ARE 7 REASONS WHY HEALTHY FOOD
IS IMPORTANT:

1. Getting in line with the Curriculum

Children learn in school about good nutrition and how to

make healthy eating choices. The school environment needs to
properly support this education by ensuring that food provided
on the school grounds is in line with the accepted guidelines for
children’s nutrition.

It doesn’t make sense to teach children in the classroom that

they must eat whole-wheat bread, and then serve them
hamburgers on white buns at break time.

2. It is our responsibility to help fight overweight and

obesity in children

There is an urgent need to prevent obesity in children and

young people in South Africa. The prevalence of obesity
and overweight has doubled in adolescent boys over a
6-year period. 23% of girls and 10% of boys aged 10 to 14 are
overweight or obese and 27% of girls and 9% of boys aged
15 to 17 are overweight or obese (SANHANES 2012). Obesity in
childhood is associated with a wide range of serious health
complications. There is consistent evidence that the promotion of
healthy eating in schools can reduce the risk for these diseases
and for this reason the World Health Organisation has published
a policy on school based interventions (Healthy Active Kids
Report Card 2014) . The tuck shop in your school can make a
big difference to promote healthy eating habits amongst the
children in your school!
3. So, Let’s Walk Our Talk

We must make it possible for children to eat healthier foods

every day by making these choices available. Research shows
that having lots of opportunities as a child to make healthy food
choices has a big impact on whether healthy eating becomes a
life-long habit.

4. Every School can be a Healthy School

Any school focus on health promotion can make a difference.

The key is to be well-informed and to make healthier choices.
For example, many delicious, healthy fruits can be cheaper than
sweets – especially if you are growing the fruits yourselves!
People often worry that healthy means more expensive –
however, there are many ways to provide affordable healthy
good food.

5. Poor Nutrition Costs a Fortune

It is well known that poor nutrition, whether that is under-

nutrition, poor food choices, or overeating, has a major impact
on modern societies. So-called ‘lifestyle diseases’ that result from
poor nutrition and inactivity, cost governments, communities,
families and individuals a fortune in health care, never mind
the costs of the pain and stress of ill-health. The hidden costs
of unhealthy foods can be found in the soaring expenses of ill-
health.

6. Meeting Global Standards

Poor nutrition is impacting the health of children all over the

world and exposure to unhealthy foods and drinks are a
major contributing factor. For instance, there are many schools
where the sales of certain food products are simply banned
 outright, and many others have transformed their food provision
because of pressure from within the school community. There
is no doubt that the ongoing facilitation of good nutrition and
healthy lifestyles enhances a school’s reputation for delivering an
excellent service to its community.

7. Good Food Is Good Health

Eating good food is an essential part of maintaining health and

avoiding disease. Children are most vulnerable to poor nutrition,
both because they cannot control their sources of food and
because their bodies are still growing. Good food is a basic
requirement for the growing of healthy bodies, and it is essential
if children are going to learn well. Schools play a critical role in
ensuring that children have healthy bodies and minds.

THE SCHOOL
A COMMUNITY HEALTH HUB

The transformation of the school into a healthy-eating hub

provides wonderful opportunities for schools to promote
improved health and well-being in their communities. Many
important healthy lifestyle messages can be spread from the
school, helping families to take responsibility for their health
and increasing their enjoyment of life. . Promoting and providing
healthy food options at the school Tuck shop, vendors or a
school feeding scheme supports this message. In addition, other
projects such as a physical activity programme can be linked to
the healthy school.
TW
A HEALTHY
FOOD POLICY
FORMULATE A HEALTHY FOOD POLICY

Formulating an official school policy is a great way of clarifying goals,

setting the standards and informing stakeholders, such as tuck shop
- and vendor owners, about healthy food at schools. Importantly, it
serves to entrench the school’s food provision within the context of the
school’s rules and regulations. The next chapter gives you more detail
on how to do this.

Why?
It is a good idea to introduce healthy food at schools by
formulating a school policy to set the standard and provide the
means for monitoring, evaluation and reporting. The aim of the
healthy school policy is to clearly inform those involved (such
as tuck shop owners and vendors) about how things are to be
done at your school.

How?
When it comes to writing policy, the best rule is to keep it simple.
Write clearly and be specific. Like all policies, you will need to
review it from time to time to ensure that it is relevant and up to
date.

What ?
Different schools approach food provision in different ways.
Therefore, healthy eating policies will differ from school to
school. However, there are some basic nutritional guidelines that
are relevant to all and you might want to include them in your
policy.
Some Ideas
Do not promote Promote
Processed foods and drinks The school tuck shop is a Healthy
that do not have nutritional Tuck Shop that promotes a
information on the labels. healthy, balanced diet by
providing a variety of foods
that will help meet children’s
nutritional requirements.
Foods and drinks with added The regular consumption of fruit
sugar, colourants, preservatives and vegetables, and makes
and sweetened with non- these foods available as snacks
nutritive sweeteners. or as part of meals as much as
possible.
Foods high in saturated fats and The consumption of plain, clean
trans fats. water and makes it readily
available.
Foods high in salt (sodium).
Foods and drinks that Healthier alternatives to popular
contain additives such as foods that are of poorer
food colourants, flavourants, nutritional quality such as pies,
sweeteners and preservatives. sausage rolls and white bread
This will include chips, cold drinks, rolls filled with chips.
some cold meats, sausages and
Healthier choices at lower prices.
cheeses.
Recycling.
Traditional Foods made from
scratch that includes fresh
produce.
THRE
A HEALTHY FOOD
COMMUNICATION
STRATEGY
A Healthy ’Eating in Schools’ Communication Strategy

Key Messages:

Learners Fit Kids are Cool Kids! Healthy eating and

physical activity help you to feel good, to have
lots of energy and to build a strong body and
mind.

Parents Food provided at school should be affordable,

nutritious food available so that your children
can learn to make healthy food choices a good
habit that last a lifetime.

Educators The school’s teachers will help learners to make

the healthy food choices we teach them about
in the classroom.

School Governing Body

You play a vital role in promoting healthy eating
amongst learners and the school community.
Providing children with good food options helps
them to make healthier choices a lifelong habit.

Vendors or Tuck shop owners

The school will help you to transform your
product offering so that children can buy
nutritious food from vendors.

Delivering the Messages

– Most of these messages can reach the target audiences through

the school’s usual channels – meetings, assemblies, parent
notices, notice boards, newsletters etc.
– You can use the Dietician’s information in the guide to provide
more in depth information to parents, educators, staff and
vendors or tuck shop owners.
Feedback

Make sure the communication channel is open for feedback from

your target audiences. This enables you to gauge reactions, be
aware of misunderstandings and to identify areas of concern
that must be addressed.

NOTES:
 THE DIETITIAN’S
FOU
NUTRITION
INFORMATION
FOR HEALTHIER
SCHOOLS
The dietician’s Nutrition Information for Healthier Food
options in the school space.

FOOD FOR HEALTH AND PERFORMANCE

Healthy Schools aim to provide children with foods that promote

health and performance. Foods that promote performance are
those that help sustain energy levels, increase concentration and
positively impact on behaviour.

The key to healthy food provision is a balance of different types

of food. Growing bodies need sensible ratios of carbohydrates,
proteins and fats; plenty of fruit and vegetables, a high intake of
fibre; and controlled amounts of added salt.

Children learn about healthy eating in the classroom and the foods
provided at school should reflect what is taught. Nutrition messages
in the school curriculum are based on the South African Food Based
Dietary Guidelines:

• Enjoy a variety of foods.

• Be active!
• Make starchy foods part of most meals.
• Eat plenty of vegetables and fruit every day.
• Eat dry beans, split peas, lentils and soya regularly.
• Have milk, maas or yoghurt every day.
• Fish, chicken, lean meat or eggs can be eaten daily.
• Drink lots of clean, safe water.
• Use fats sparingly. Choose vegetable oils, rather than hard fats.
• Use sugar and foods and drinks high in sugar sparingly.
• Use salt and food high in salt sparingly.
A food can be a source of energy but may be nutrient poor so it’s
important to make food choices based on the overall nutritional
value that will be provided. Two different foods can provide
similar energy in the form of kilojoules – but one option may include
nutrients such as protein, vitamins, minerals and fibre; while the other
contains lots of added sugar, fat and preservatives.

To understand nutritional value, consider these two lunch

options:

A Deep-fried potato chips with salt – as a meal, this option

provides high carbohydrate, high fat and salt. It is not
nutritionally complete as a meal as it is lacking in protein
and fibre as well as important vitamins and minerals. The
high carbohydrate and fat content can contribute excessive
energy without nutrients. If this option is eaten regularly as
a meal, it will compromise the child’s overall diet and may
contribute to weight gain.

B A whole-wheat roll with fresh avocado, skinless chicken,

lettuce and tomato – as a meal, this option provides a good
balance of carbohydrates, protein and fat as well as a
reasonable serving of raw fruit and vegetables. The whole-
wheat roll, lettuce and tomato contribute fibre. If meals like
this, containing a variety of nutrients, are eaten regularly, they
will positively contribute to the child’s overall diet, promoting
health and performance.

As this example illustrates using a variety of different foods helps

to achieve nutritional balance. Food provided at school tuck shops,
from vendors or school feeding schemes may offer a wide menu,
but not all the options provide variety and balance. In this case, you
may consider offering less options but ensuring that each menu item
is nutritionally balanced.
Increase / Provide more:
Fresh vegetables and fruit

Vegetables and fruit is the only foods which collectively have

been consistently associated with risk reduction in several
diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension
and age related macular degeneration. Consuming a diet rich in
a variety of plant foods provides a mixture of phytochemicals,
“non-nutritive” substances in plants that possess health protective
benefits. Vegetables and fruit are also a source of carbohydrate
that provides energy to the body, contains vitamins and minerals
that help the body function the way it should and strengthens the
immune system and contains fibre that helps maintain digestive
health.

Ideas to include fruit in vegetables in school meals and

snacks:

• Provide whole fresh fruit

• Include vegetables in meals such as curries, sandwiches, wraps
and soups
• Use fresh vegetables from a school based vegetable garden in
meals and snacks

Understanding Fibre Food fibre plays a number of important

roles in the body, which include:

• Prevention and treatment of constipation.

• Prevention of ‘lifestyle diseases’ such as certain cancers,
diabetes and heart disease.
• Increased feeling of fullness For children to meet their daily fibre
requirements they need to consume fibre-rich meals and snacks.
The examples listed below represent different types of fibre and it is
important to combine these foods to meet children’s fibre needs.

Examples of foods high in dietary fibre – Fresh and dried

legumes such as beans, peas, chickpeas and lentils; whole-wheat
and other whole-grain breads such as rye; whole-wheat pasta and
noodles; cereals such as bran and muesli; brown rice; fresh fruits
such as berries, plums, apples and pears that are eaten with their
skins; dried fruits such as figs, apricots, dates, raisins and prunes;
vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, brussel sprouts, corn, brinjals,
sweet potatoes and potatoes; leafy vegetables such as spinach
and cabbage; nuts; oats, buckwheat and bran.

Dairy or milk products

Milk products such as yoghurt, milk and maas contain protein,
carbohydrate and other important nutrients that such as calcium
that maintain healthy strong bones and facilitate growth. Serving or
selling milk based drinks by vendors, the school tuck shop or school
feeding scheme provides better alternatives to sugar sweetened
drinks. Single servings of milk, maas and unsweetened yoghurt are
examples of options that can be sold or provided at school.

Understanding Fats

Fats have many important functions in building and maintaining

healthy bodies. So they should not be cut out of children’s eating
regimes. However, it is important to regulate the total amount of
fats– because when it comes to fat, as the saying goes ‘a little goes
a long way’. It is particularly important for schools that have a high
or increasing rate of obesity amongst children to promote a fat
controlled diet alongside physical activity. Making a long term habit
of controlling the type and amount of fat one eats helps to prevent
weight gain and avoid lifestyle diseases such as heart disease later
in life.
It is also important to understand that there are different kinds of
fats found in different foods. Trans fats that result from the process
of the hydrogenation of vegetable oils from a liquid to more solid
state should be avoided. Saturated fats should only be consumed in
small quantities. Polyunsaturated and, particularly mono-unsaturated
fats are beneficial in moderation and can be substituted for all other
sources of unhealthy fats.

Healthy fats
Healthy fats include polyunsaturated and, particularly mono-
unsaturated fats. Sources of polyunsaturated fats include ‘oily’ fish
such as pilchards, sardines, mackerel; fish oil, seed oils and seeds.
Sources of mono-unsaturated fats include nuts, nut butters, olives,
olive oil, avocado, avocado oil and canola oil. Ways to include
healthy fats in school lunches and snacks include:

• Using canola oil when cooking meals

• Adding avocado pear to sandwiched and salads
• Providing fish based meals more often such as fish cakes (home
made with pilchards), tuna sandwiches, fish curry or biryani.

Legumes or pulses (dry beans, split peas, lentils)

Legumes are rich and economical sources of good-quality protein,

slow-release carbohydrates, fibre, various vitamins and minerals and
non-nutritive components which may have several beneficial health
effects. Different type include: dry beans such as butter beans, red
kidney beans and sugar beans, peas, lentils and soya. Ways to
include healthy fats in school lunches and snacks include:

• Add lentils to stews, curries and starches such as rice and samp
• Dry roast chickpeas and serve as a snack
Reduce and Avoid
Added Sugar – As a carbohydrate, sugar does provide energy
but it is of little nutritional value as it contains no other nutrients.
Many convenience food and drinks are high in added sugar.
Consuming too many foods and drinks high in added sugar
(especially sweet sticky foods and beverages with acids) can crowd
out other nutrients, decrease appetite at meal times and promote
dental caries. In addition, over consumption of sugar may trigger
behavioural problems in susceptible children, and result in weight
gain in children who are less active.

Added Salt – Salt, sometimes listed as the ingredient sodium, is

often added to food products as a preservative and flavourant. Like
sugar, we easily develop a taste for added salt, which can become
a life-long habit. Consuming too much salt in childhood can lead to
ill-health conditions in adulthood such as high blood pressure. It is
advisable to reduce or avoid products with added salt so as to help
school children adjust their palate while they are still young.

Additives – Additives such as artificial colourants and flavourants,

sweeteners and preservatives are routinely included in many
processed food products. These additives offer little nutritional
benefits, and some may adversely affect behaviour.

Reduce and avoid foods high fat highly processed foods–

many processed foods, sweets and snacks are high in less healthy
types of fat (and high in sugar) and undermine a balanced diet.
Deep-fried and fried foods such as samoosas, doughnuts and
vetkoek are high in fat and made of highly processed starch. Foods
that require butter or margarine in the preparation or cooking
process, such as toasted sandwiches are high in fat. Many baked
goods such as pies, sausage rolls, cakes and biscuits are high in fat
and made of highly processed starch.
Reduce saturated fats – these are found in, butter, fatty meat,
chicken skin, cheese, processed meats such as polony and other
sandwich meats, coconut and palm kernel oils which are often used
in biscuits and energy bars.

Avoid trans fats – these are found in certain margarines, pastries,

pies, some baked goods, and foods cooked in oil that has been
repeatedly reheated. The easiest way to avoid trans fats is to avoid
products that state that they contain ‘partially hydrogenated fat’ as
an ingredient or enquire from the manufacturer if hydrogenated fat
is an ingredient.

Understanding Food
Labels
It is very important to read and understand food labels. The school
needs to ensure that tuck shop buyers, food providing schemes or
vendors are educated about the importance of food labels. You
may consider holding a workshop on this issue. Collect a range of
packaging from foods such as yoghurts, flavoured milks, sweets,
cold-drinks, crisps, energy bars, cakes, dried fruit etc. Get the
participants to read labels and practically demonstrate how to
identify products that meet the requirements of your Healthy Food
policy.
Always check the
ingredients
Ingredients are listed in descending order of mass on food labels.
Thus, the ingredient contributing to the product the most is listed
first. Sometimes ingredients you may want to reduce or avoid are
included in what seems like a beneficial product.

For example:

• Bran muffins may have high added sugar content and you’ll be
aware of this if sugar is listed second in the ingredients list.
• Canned beans in tomato sauce may have added salt.
• Yoghurt drinks may contain added sugar and preservatives, and
in some cases, be high in fat

Understand the nutritional information per serving

You also need to assess the nutritional information per 100g and
per actual serving – sometimes you can be misled when the quoted
nutritional value of the product per 100g is not aligned to the serving
you will provide.

Assess the marketing messages

Don’t be misled by the promotion of added vitamins and minerals

• such products may still be high in fat or sugar, and they may
contain other additives you want to reduce and avoid.
• Avoid food products that are not properly labelled

Use this information to educate your school community. The

expertise contained in this chapter helps everyone to understand
more about healthy eating. Staff, buyers and vendors need to
know this information, but it may also be of interest to teachers
and parents. You can use it to create a powerpoint presentation, or
include it in school newsletters and notices.
Food Safety and
Hygiene
Proper food preparation protects against foodborne illnesses
from bacteria which can cause diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps,
nausea, vomiting, and dehydration.

Safety precautions include knowing how to select foods in the

grocery store, then storing them properly and cooking and
preparing them safely, plus cleaning up afterward.

Food Safety and Hygiene Guidelines

1. Wash your hands with soap and water before and after
handling food. You may also need to repeat the process during
food preparation, especially after going to the toilet and after
working with raw meat.
2. Wear an apron.
3. Tie back or cover hair.
4. Do not wear jewellery.
5. Keep the kitchen, all equipment and work stations clean.
6. Keep the kitchen, all equipment and work stations free of insects
and other animals.
7. Keep raw and cooked food separate; use different work
surfaces, containers and utensils.
8. Keep meat, especially raw meat, separate from other food; use
different work surfaces, containers and utensils.
9. Do not work with food when you are sick.
10. Ensure that equipment, utensils and food are not exposed to
potentially harmful chemicals in the form of pesticides or cleaning
agents that contain toxins.
11. Store foods correctly to protect product quality and avoid spoilage.
12. Adhere to the “sell-by” and “use-by” dates on food labels.
FIV
IDEAS FOR
DELICIOUS,
HEALTHY
LUNCHES
HERE IS AN EXAMPLE OF A WEEKLY PLAN OF NUTRITIOUS BALANCED
LUNCHES:

MONDAY: Healthier Hotdogs

For healthier hot dogs, choose sausages carefully. Look for those
that are lower in fat, salt and additives. Fresh chicken sausage is a
great alternative to beef, boerewors or viennas. Boil, bake or dry fry
the sausages. Serve on whole-wheat bread rolls with salads such as
lettuce, tomato and cucumber.

TUESDAY: Chicken Biryani

Use long grain rice or brown rice, lentils, diced carrots, peas,
cauliflower and sweet potato. Use olive oil or canola oil instead
of butter for frying. Add lean skinless chicken or fish. Serve with
plain low fat yoghurt and fresh herbs (such as chopped dhania
(coriander).

WEDNESDAY: Macaroni Cheese

For a lower fat macaroni cheese use low fat or fat free milk, and a
small amount of a stronger tasting cheese such as mature cheddar.
Add cooked vegetables such as diced carrots, grated marrows or
peas.

THURSDAY: Healthier Pizza Slices

Use a base such as whole-wheat pita breads. Use small amounts of

strong tasting cheese such as mature cheddar. Add lots of seasonal
vegetables to the toppings. It is not necessary to include meat, but if
you do, use lean meat such as skinless chicken. This can be steamed
instead of fried, and shredded after cooking to make it go further.
FRIDAY: Fish or Vegetable Burgers

Make fish patties using tinned fish such as salmon, pilchards

and sardines because of their high omega-3 fatty acid content.
Add boiled lentils or chickpeas to stretch the protein content. For
vegetable patties use cooked butternut and kidney beans or
chickpeas or lentils. Use flavours such as chopped dhania (coriander)
and ground cumin. Use whole-wheat bread for crumbs. Oven
bake the patties. Serve on whole- wheat rolls with lots of lettuce
and tomatoes. Use reduced oil mayonnaise or hummus, tzatziki
(cucumber and yoghurt dip) or tomato sauce.

Other Lunch ideas include:

• Sandwiches: Use wholewheat bread with tuna mayonnaise,
chicken mayonnaise or egg mayonnaise (use reduced oil
mayonnaise; no butter or margarine). Add lettuce, chopped
tomato, grated carrot and / or celery.
• Salad Rolls: Serve the above mentioned fillings with salad in a
wholewheat roll.

Vegetable Soup: Use a variety of vegetables such as onion, garlic,

tomato, pumpkin or butternut, carrots, celery, leeks and sweet
potato, Add split lentils or split peas to increase protein content. Limit
the use of commercial high salt stock powder and cubes; rather
flavour the soup with herbs and spices.
PRACTICAL TIPS FOR HEALTHY

LUNCHES
1. Devise a weekly plan that includes at least 1 vegetarian meal, 1
fish meal, and no more than 2 red meat meals.

2. Consider including traditional meal options such as samp and

beans or curry and rice.

3. Use lean meat trimmed of fat and skinless chicken. Avoid

polonies and other processed sandwich meat options.

4. Always use brown, whole-wheat and seed breads or rolls rather

than white in bread based options.

5. Include lots of fresh vegetables, salads and fruits in every meal.

Even if your school’s lunches always comprise of samp and
beans, serve this with fresh, seasonal vegetables whenever
possible.

6. Use as little oil as possible when cooking meat, chicken, fish or

vegetables.

7. Add legumes such as lentils, dried beans and chickpeas to soups

and meat dishes to enhance protein and increase fibre content.
8. Where ever possible oven-bake rather than fry, and steam
rather than boil.

9. Include just one fat-based spread per meal or sandwich –

and choose spreads with higher unsaturated fat content
such as peanut butter, avocado pear, hummus, or reduced
fat mayonnaise. A peanut butter sandwich does not require
margarine or butter.

10. If you buy products such as ready-made burger patties or

chicken nuggets, choose those are low in saturated fat, low in
salt and contain little to no additives. Bake rather than fry.

11. Limit the use of ready-made sauces, marinades and condiments.

Both salt and additives are issues here and these products
should be chosen with care to select lower salt options
and products without preservatives and additives (such as
colourants). This is difficult and hence it is better to make one’s
own. Avoid seasoned rice, noodle mixes and creamy pasta,
soup and sauce products.
SI
IDEAS FOR
DELICIOUS,
HEALTHY SNACKS
 PRACTICAL TIPS FOR HEALTHY

SNACKS
1. Make seasonal fresh fruits available every day. You can sell
whole fruits such as bananas, oranges, apples, pears, plums,
peaches etc. or fruit wedges such as pineapple, mangoes,
watermelon, sweet melons. You can also make colourful fruit
kebabs or sell servings of fruit salad.

2. Blend ripened, leftover fruits with 100% fruit juice and freeze as
ice lollies.

3. Make bulk air or machine popped popcorn and package into

small bags.

4. Make bulk trail mix – a blend of unsalted nuts, seeds and dried
fruits, and package into small bags.

5. Make your own dried fruit mix – where possible purchase dried
fruit that is free of preservatives such as raisins, prunes and
sulphur-dioxide free mango.

6. Vegetable sticks with a dip such as carrots, cucumber and celery

with hummus, mashed avocado pear or low fat cottage cheese.
7. Boiled Eggs

8. Cheese and biscuit snack – use whole-grain crackers and

reduced fat cheese, serve with a few cherry tomatoes or carrot
and cucumber sticks.

9. Toasted pita triangles and dip – use wholewheat pita breads

cut into wedges and oven baked. Serve with dips such as
hummus, mashed avocado pear or low fat cottage cheese.

10. Bran and fruit/vegetable muffins – use recipes that are low
in oil and substitute whole-wheat flour for cake flour. Apples,
bananas, carrots and butternut make great ingredients in
muffins. Make muffins about the size of a door-knob.

11. Homemade Roasted Chickpeas – Chickpeas provide

carbohydrate, protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals. Soak dried
chickpeas overnight, drain and pat dry. Spread on a baking tray
and roast for about 45 minute until crisp. A low salt flavouring
such as low salt soya sauce or rub that contains no added
preservatives of artificial flavourings can be sprinkled over the
chickpeas before baking. Package into small bags.

12. Mealies or Corn on the Cob

13. Unsweetened yoghurt

SEVE
TIPS FOR HEALTHY
DRINKS
7DRINKS
1.
PRACTICAL TIPS FOR HEALTHY

Plain, clean water tops the charts as the natural, healthy-giving

thirst-quencher that children should be encouraged to drink
throughout the day. The healthy tuck shop can help to promote
this by offering servings of plain water which can be chilled
in the Summer months. Children can bring their own sports
or water bottles for filling or use cups that can be re-used
and set up a bring-back system that engages children in the
important activity of reducing waste. Proper sanitising of the
cups is important. Avoid bottled waters as this greatly increases
unnecessary waste. Add flavour by adding freshly cut fruit to
water containers, such as lemon- or orange slices or apple
wedges. Or use sparkling or soda water for variation.

2. Provide 100% pure, pressed or blended fruit and vegetable

juices that contain no added sugar, or other sweeteners,
preservatives, herbs, caffeine, guarana, artificial colourants.
Make sure the servings are around 125ml, and ideally diluted
with water to a volume of around 250ml.

3. Plain milk or maas – ideally low fat, fat free or skim options
4. Low fat plain soy milk – choose brands that are calcium-
enriched.

5. Make your own homemade iced tea using Rooibos tea and 100%
fruit juice.

6. Make your own smoothies using ripened leftover fruit, low fat
milk and plain low fat yoghurt.

7. Low fat yoghurt drinks or milkshakes– choose brands that are

low in sugar.