Nutrition Policy

Ministry of Health
Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health Partnership
Healthy Schools
NUTRITION POLICY
 
Healthy Students Are More Likely To Do Well In School.

Students require good nutrition to promote:

• Good Health
• Growth
• Mental Development
• Social skills

Childhood is the best time in life to acquire good eating habits.
 
The messages young people receive about nutrition should be clear, consistent, and constant. Getting children and adolescents to form healthy eating habits requires support from all of us – parents, schools, the community, media and government.

The Department of Education has approved the Food and Nutrition Policy for government schools in support of keeping students healthy.

The policy states:
‘All foods consumed on the school premises will contribute to the health and well-being of students.’
 
School Lunches Should Meet The Nutritional Standards As Defined Below:
 
Food should provide nutrients (protein, complex carbohydrates, calcium, iron, vitamin A, vitamin C, etc.) supplied from the five food groups.
School lunches should be consistent with the recommendations of the ‘Guide to Good Eating’ as outlined in Bermuda’s Guide to Daily Food Choices.
 
Encourage students to:

• Eat a variety of foods.
• Choose low-fat dairy products, low-fat milk; calcium-fortified soy milk or juices; leaner meats: chicken, turkey, tuna; and use lower-fat cooking methods, i.e., baking and grilling.
• Choose whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.
• Limit the use of foods high in salt and sugar.

Schools
To encourage healthy eating in students:

• Teach students the importance of nutrition through the health education curriculum and provide opportunities them to practice what they have learned.
• Integrate the principles of nutrition in other subjects (i.e., counting fat grams in mathematics).
• Adopt and endorse the School Nutrition and Vending Machine Policies.
• Enforce the use of the Foodservice Guidelines and Standards.
• Encourage the sale and consumption of nutritious foods from the five food groups at bake sales, sports events, afterschool programs, and lunch time.

Teachers
To encourage healthy eating habits in students:

• Be a health role model and eat healthy lunches with students during lunch duty.
• Provide incentives for the students who bring nutritious lunches (e.g., healthy lunch box stickers.)
• Discourage the use of candy or other (non-nutritious) foods as a reward for good work.

Parents
To encourage healthy eating in students:

• Encourage students to eat breakfast (e.g., cereal and low-fat milk, sandwiches, fruit yogurt or leftovers).
• Model healthy eating habits by providing healthy food choices for the whole family to enjoy.
• Select healthy foods for snacks during and after school (see list provided).
• Teach students how to make nutritious lunches.
• Provide students with a nutritious lunch that includes 4 to 5 foods from the five food groups.

Community Agencies & Businesses
To support young people in eating healthy and:

• Provide nutritiously balanced foods for sale to young people.
• Provide nutritious foods at social events.
• Provide a healthy environment (i.e., making healthy food choices available at the check-out stand).
• Make healthy foods affordable.

The Five Food Groups

• Meat Group: fish, chicken, egg or vegetarian alternatives such as peanut butter, beans, lentils, tofu and soy products.
• Milk Group: milk, cheese, low-fat pudding or yogurt.
• Bread and Cereal Group: bread (whole wheat, multi-grain, rye, small bagels, etc.) variety breads (herbed, pocket, onion, or raisin), pasta, rice or unsweetened cereals.
• Vegetables: chopped, raw or cooked vegetables salads.
• Fruit: piece of fruit, fruit canned in juice or light syrup, dried fruit.

HEALTHY FOODS ALTERNATIVES FOR LUNCH BOXES AND SNACKS