To maintain a healthy weight at school, it is necessary to have a healthy and balanced diet. In addition, you also have to maintain a diet to meet energy needs while at school.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Adjusting Daily Habits
Step 1. Have breakfast every day before leaving for school
Eat yogurt with fresh fruit like strawberries or blueberries and granola, or a bowl of low-sugar whole-grain breakfast cereal with low-fat milk. Starting the day with food will also stimulate the body's metabolism so that it spurs the burning of calories and fat throughout the day. Remember that what you eat for breakfast will affect your hunger throughout the day. So, choose protein, whole grains, and healthy fats.
You can also enjoy eggs with toast from various cereals, or a smoothie with frozen bananas, berries, water or coconut milk, and honey
Step 2. Bring a full bottle of drinking water
Soft drinks and sodas that contain lots of sugar will only lead to an increase in sugar levels and a poor diet. So, replace soda and fruit juice with a full bottle of drinking water. Add sliced lemon, lime, cucumber, or orange for a natural flavoring. Put a water bottle in your bag so you can drink when you feel thirsty at school.
Step 3. Bring healthy snacks to school
Wrap bananas and apples in paper bags and put them in your school bag in the morning. Or, bring some sticks of unsweetened granola. That way, when you feel hungry, there are healthy snacks to replace processed snacks from the canteen.
- Prioritize bringing food that does not need to be refrigerated. Sometimes a cooler will work, but to reduce the risk of food-borne illness, choose foods that are room temperature stable and can be carried easily throughout the day.
- You can also prepare a healthy snack the night before by cutting up fresh fruit and placing it in a Tupperware container, or placing the dried fruit and nut mixture in a plastic clip bag. Have these snacks at your door so you can take them with you in the morning or put them in your school bag.
Method 2 of 3: Making Homemade Dishes
Step 1. Make a food menu schedule
Spend a little time designing meal plans with your parents or guardians. Make sure you eat three times a day, every day. Prioritize a lunch menu that is easy to carry, packaged, and filling, but still healthy.
- Set up a whiteboard or use a computer program to create a table of breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus. Then, write down the school days of the week (usually Monday-Friday).
- Schedule a quick breakfast menu, a healthy and easy-to-carry lunch, and a filling dinner with your parents.
- You can also use mobile applications such as ZipList, Evernote, and Pepper Plate to schedule food menus and grocery shopping lists at supermarkets.
Step 2. Prepare lunch the night before
Get in the habit of preparing lunch the night before. Usually, it takes no more than 30 minutes. If your parents usually prepare your lunch, get involved and help them organize and put the food in a container or clip bag.
Use leftover dinner or large meals in a different way, such as leftover barbecue chicken rolls or leftover vegetables with whole grain pasta
Step 3. Choose healthy foods if you are going to lunch at school
Choose a restaurant that provides a healthy and fast food menu. Avoid most fast food restaurants or opt for a healthier menu there. Choose a salad, roll, or sandwich.
If your friend likes fast food, look for a healthier menu there, such as a vegetarian menu or a sandwich with salad instead of fries
Step 4. Don't skip meals
Skipping meals will signal your metabolism to slow down and reduce calorie burn. This is not ideal when you sit all day in class. The ideal condition is to stimulate the body's metabolism and maintain its pace by eating healthy snacks on time throughout the day.
Step 5. Ask your parents if you can help cook the food
Come along to prepare food and cook with your parents in the kitchen. Learn how to properly chop vegetables and how to prepare raw food. Ask your parents about cooking and preparing food to practice cooking skills.
- As you help prepare meals, think about ways to make healthier dishes. For example, grilling or steaming fish instead of frying it, or substituting red meat for other protein sources such as grilled tofu.
- Helping with cooking also allows you to set the portion of the dish on the plate. Limiting your portions to no more than a few spoonfuls for each dish will help ensure you don't overeat.
Method 3 of 3: Choosing Healthy Food in School
Step 1. Look for fruits and vegetables
Since 2012, the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued school lunch standards that increase the amount of vegetables and fruit served, prioritize whole-grain foods, and allow only low-fat and nonfat dairy, and reduce saturated fat and sodium. Based on the regulations there, schools must provide a menu of fruit and vegetables, either fresh or packaged without added sugar.
- Choose pure fruit juices without added sugar, or dried fruit.
- Choose green leafy vegetables such as broccoli or spinach, red or orange vegetables such as carrots or sweet potatoes, and beans and legumes such as kidney beans or lentils.
- Choose a carbohydrate source such as corn or potatoes without added salt. Or a vegetarian menu like beans and peas.
Step 2. Remember that most fast food menus are high in salt, sugar, and fat
If possible, look for healthy meals at school. However, bringing a balanced lunch from home is still the best option. According to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, the five worst school meals are:
- Beef and cheese nachos contain 24 grams of fat and nearly 1,500 mg of sodium.
- Meatloaf and potatoes contain 72 calories and 78 mg cholesterol.
- Cheeseburgers contain more saturated fat than children should eat in whole servings.
- Cheese sandwiches such as toasted cheese sandwiches and cheese quesadillas contain more than 7 grams of saturated fat and nearly 1,000 mg of sodium.
- Pepperoni pizza containing more than 6 grams of saturated fat. Pepperoni is a processed meat that increases the risk of cancer.
Step 3. Increase your cereal intake
At lunch, schools in the US are required to serve a choice of whole grain menus each day. This menu includes rice, quinoa and/or couscous. So, if you can, look for this healthier menu as a substitute for high-carbohydrate foods such as pasta or bread.
In the US, schools are also required to provide a meat substitute menu such as tofu, yogurt, a good source of protein without having to eat red meat
Step 4. Look for healthier drink options
Choose 100% pure fruit juice in the school canteen, as well as nonfat or low-fat milk that does not contain added sugar or flavouring. Your school canteen probably provides at least two types of milk, as well as fruit juice.
Try to avoid sugar-rich drinks like soda and fruit juices with added sugar from the school canteen
Step 5. Limit food portions
Portion management is an important step towards a healthy diet at school and ensures you get all the nutrients and energy you need throughout the day. Divide your plate into four, complete with dairy products (low-fat or fat-free milk). Your plate should contain four different types of food namely, fruits, vegetables, cereals, and proteins such as meat, beans, or tofu.
- Instead, eat about a cup of cereals such as rice or pasta, and a cup of vegetables and fruit. Take your palms and place them on a plate. Your portion of food should not be more than the size of your hand.
- The meat or protein portion should be as big as the palm of your hand.
- Additional fats such as butter, mayonnaise, or salad dressing should be only about the size of the tip of your thumb.
- All parts of your food should not overlap or stack. There should be a small gap between each food group.
