School snacks cannot replace breakfast

Are you interested in a healthy diet?

World School Nutrition Day is celebrated on March 9^th.

This is a common topic at parent-teacher conferences in primary schools. Some kids are satisfied with school meals, others criticize them, and some simply skip them.

Is that ok?

The Slovene school diet is carefully planned in line with the guidelines for nutrition in educational institutions.

Irena Simčič from the National Education Institute Slovenia shared many interesting points about Slovene students’ nutrition.

She emphasizes that in recent years the quality of food in Slovenian schools and educational institutions has been constantly improving. Today it is much more varied than it was years ago. This is also confirmed by a quick glance at a menu of a randomly selected elementary school.

So why are some kids still not satisfied with the school menu?

Children bring most of their eating habits from their home environment. Therefore, the educational aspect is very important in order to have a healthy attitude towards food.

Irena Simčič points out that various educational activities are extremely important in schools. These activities help to improve eating habits and responsible attitudes towards food and cultural eating.

Even the most carefully prepared meal does not achieve its purpose if the child refuses to eat it.

Even if you don’t eat breakfast at school, Slovene children definitely come across school snacks and lunches. Each one contains different food groups, so kids can pick at least one or two things they like. That way, kids can get through all their lessons – full and focussed.

The school snack is only a supplement to breakfast and cannot replace it.

The Slovene Prime Minister, Robert Golob,  recently announced the changes in the field of school meals. Some could start as early as this September.

Inappropriate eating habits are also problematic for older students. The Minister of Labor, Luka Mesec, recently advocated for the improvement of the quality of their diet.

Glossary

“Malica”  in Slovenian is a late-morning snack that all children eat between breakfast and lunch.

“Kosilo” in Slovenian is lunch. In primary schools, it is usually scheduled after all the mandatory lessons, so some children chose to go home and not eat the school lunch.

Points to Consider

1. Do you know the basics of a healthy diet?
2. How much lunch do you throw away at school every day?
3. Why is it important to eat something between breakfast and lunch?

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The original version of this article was published on March 10^th.