%$&. 72 6&+22/ /81&+ %2; $'9,&( )25 7((16

:hen we thinN about

%acN to 6chool, there is a lot of preparation involved before the start of each new academic year and this is Must as true for teenagers returning to school 0ost ,rish school going teenagers eat a pacNed lunch from home and maNing sure that it is healthy and balanced is important to help support them during the busy school day and during these years of rapid growth and development

&ompared to primary school, the secondary school lunch situation can vary more and from school to school 6tudents may have a school canteen option, or the option to leave the school to go home or to the local shops so individuals must consider their own situation when aiming to eat healthily 3lus, early starts to meet the school bus or after school study or clubs means they also need to thinN about pacNing e[tra healthy snacNs as they can be gone for most of the day

'r

3hysiotherapist, )ood creator and *aelic footballer 6inpad 'elahunty said, ³, worN a lot with young people through my social media and sport, , Nnow there is a lot of misinformation out there about how to choose and prepare meals that are healthy and balanced 7here is also a lot of pressure on teenagers now to looN a certain way $ balanced approach with all food groups is what , use in my food posts to help young people translate healthy eating advice into day to day meals that they can easily maNe themselves and can feel good about eating ´ 3acNed lunches brought from home were the most common lunch in an ,rish study of ± year olds and was the healthier option versus lunches bought outside of school /unch is one of the three main meals of the day, so it is important that its healthy and delivering nutrients teenagers need 0ore so as a dietary survey of ,rish teens highlighted that over half had inadeTuate intaNes of calcium ) with almost all having inadeTuate 9itamin ' intaNes )

7he survey also showed that average number of servings of fruit and vegetables per day was versus the servings recommended and milN intaNe had also decreased since the previous dietary study

'r

'airy is an important part of a healthy balanced diet and ,rish *overnment recommendations stipulate that teen need servings of dairy per day to supply the necessary calcium to support bone growth and development during these years 'airy also delivers protein which is important for normal muscle growth and maintenance $ serving is ml milN, g yogurt or g cheese

7ypically, a pacNed school lunch should contain all of the maMor food groups, some guidelines below

portions of starchy carbohydrate e g , wholegrain breads, pittas and wraps, brown rice pasta) $n additional portion as part of an after school snacN if staying on late

portion of meat or meat alternative e g , chicNen, fish, egg, pulses)

,deally portions of dairy e g , yogurt, cheese) to help reach five a day for teens

) portion of vegetable e g , carrot sticNs, peppers, sweetcorn, lettuce, onion)

) portion of fruit e g , apple, orange, banana, pear, Niwi) $ drinN of water and or milN