Nutritional Children’s Menu at School Stage

At this stage, children need high quality food as they are in full development of their physical and mental faculties. You should never put aside their proper food, even though sometimes you don’t have the time or inclination, you should make an effort to maintain food quality in children.

In a nutritious menu for school stage, the healthiest foods in the diet and recommended, and the dosages and amounts appropriate considering the child's physical activity and age should always be considered.

To follow the below menu examples in their optimal way, you need to consider the best thing for a child is to make 4 or 5 meals a day, which should preferably be distributed as follows and including recommended foods and suggested rations for each day:

Breakfast: fruit (in juice or salad), cereal (oatmeal, tapioca, wheat, etc.), milk (preferably vegetable), oilseeds, wheat bread.
Lunch: a sandwich or a more consistent food such as eggs, omelets, pancakes, tuna salad, etc.
Food: soup, broth, cooked with fish or chicken, fresh salad, vegetables, pasta, etc.
Snack: bread, fruit salad,
Dinner: vegetable salad, milk, cereal, whole bread, sandwiches, etc.
Between meals: if the child is hungry between these meals, you should offer fruit, vegetable or cereal bars, which is a good supply of energy and nutrients. Avoid frying food, processed, and added with coloring and additives that have no nutritional value.

Food rations and recommended:

• Fruit: three servings per day
• Vegetables: Three servings daily.
• Animal meat: five servings a week, preferably fish which must be consumed at least three times a week.
• Legumes: 4 or 5 times a week
• Eggs: 2 or 3 times a week
• Milk: 2 servings or glasses per day.

NOTE: Remember not to cook much food as it loses nutritional value. Fruits and vegetables should be eaten raw in salads or preferably juice. And usually prefer to consume whole grains, even though the processed are more popular, remember that education of the palate begins at this age and whole grains are excellent amount of fiber and nutrients.

General advices

If your child has no appetite, never force him/her to eat. The reasons why a child does not eat can be very varied: lack of physical activity, depression, anxiety, eating chips, soda or candy between meals, etc. Blackmailing to force him to eat won’t do much, it's always best to try to find the cause that takes away the appetite.

Avoid in their diet: fried, animal meats, sodas and sugary drinks, refined flour and refined sugar-sweetened foods, processed and all kinds of junk food. Do not exaggerate in giving pasta and milk.

Try not to mix many foods at a meal, and do not give sweetened drinks. Beverages must be at lunchtime preferably pure water or some herb infusions.

Suggested Menu

MONDAY:

Breakfast: some fruits (no more than three). A cup of oatmeal with chocolate soy milk.
Lunch: Tuna sandwich or pie and vegetables with cool chamomile tea with a little honey
Food: vegetable soup and salad with oats croquettes
Snack: cereal bar with some fruit and a glass of milk.
Dinner: whole grain toast with peanut butter and mint tea.

TUESDAY:

Breakfast: Glass of mango with kiwi sprinkled with bits of almond, chocolate chips and topped with yogurt.
Lunch: chicken fingers with salad, soup, pasta and anise tea cold with a little honey
Food: savannah breast salad with steamed vegetables.
Snack: cheese and potato pies.
Dinner: rice porridge with whole cookies.

WEDNESDAY

Breakfast: pineapple juice with coconut, toast with peanut butter.
Lunch: fish cakes with cucumber salad.
Food: breaded fish with mashed potato and carrot juice to drink (it's very healthy to introduce kids to drink vegetable juice in food).
Snack: vegetarian pizza slice.
Dinner: fruit salad with milk.

THURSDAY

Breakfast: tangerine or orange juice with oatmeal and cereal bars.
Lunch: eggs with veggie sausage and tomato with toast bread.
Food: spinach and cheese pies, vegetable salad or mashed potatoes.
Snack: chayote and pasta with tomato sauce.
Dinner: sweet of apple and amaranth with milk or yogurt.

FRIDAY:

Breakfast: bowl of papaya and mango, topped with rice syrup and chopped walnuts.
Lunch: vegetarian hamburger with salad.
Food: salmon with potato salad of lettuce.
Snack: chayote and pasta with tomato sauce.
Dinner: whole grain toast with peanut butter or chocolate and almond milk.

SATURDAY:

Breakfast: bowl of papaya and mango, topped with rice syrup and chopped walnuts.
Lunch: hotdog with veggie sausage.
Food: pumpkin pancakes with tomato sauce and fresh salad.
Snack: wheat toast with jelly or vanilla custard.
Dinner: cup of apple and pear drizzled with molasses and yogurt.

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