Supporting sufficient nutrient intake via our After-school Snacks Program:
| We continue to focus on broadening and improving the nutritional range and density of our After-school Snacks Program. The varied and nutritionally comprehensive snack we provide each day can help contribute towards meeting the nutritional requirements of our students, many of whom experience chronic mal/undernourishment, in order to improve their underlying health status, and thus support flourishing of their overall wellbeing and their learning and growth towards full potential. |
Our snacks planning is done with consideration of:
Meeting essential macro and micronutrient needs, including combining plant proteins to cover all essential amino acids, the full range of vitamins and minerals, and containing health optimising compounds such as phytonutrients/ antioxidants etc.
- Basic concepts of food synergy (combinations of nutrients/ foods to optimise absorption and impact etc.)
- Affordability, and local and seasonal availability of ingredients, and
- Regular feedback and inputs from the students and other team members.
Some key changes we have focused on these past few months include significantly increasing the variety of vegetables and fruits we purchase, improvements in food combining for increased nutritional range, density and physiological impact, and taking a more ‘experimental’ approach to try out combinations that enhance what was previously usually served. We are also taking the opportunity whenever we can for nutritional education/ cooking sessions and exploring menu ideas with the students.
| We continue our efforts with this program with joy knowing the impact sound nutrition has on all aspects of our students’ growth and development – though it is a program that requires a sufficient and steady budget, so we welcome any contributions towards supporting this! |