Healthy Eating

Teenage years are an important time for growth and development. A healthy, varied diet is essential to ensure that the energy and nutrients needed to feel good, stay healthy, concentrate at school, and take part in physical activities are received. Information and guidance can be found at

https://www.nutrition.org.uk/nutrition-for/teenagers/ 

Over recent years, we have made significant changes to our catering provision at Comberton Village College to meet or exceed guidelines. We are committed to providing an excellent range of nutritious and satisfying products to choose from.

We want to reiterate the importance of making healthy choices during the day that would not only benefit pupil well- being but also their concentration and levels of fatigue.

• Choose food items from the different food groups, in the correct proportions; base meals on starchy foods and have plenty of fruits and vegetables.
• Limit the consumption of cakes, cookies and sweet treats; these should be occasional treats.
• Keep hydrated- drink plenty of water throughout the day
• Choose high fibre options where possible; wholemeal bread and wraps, vegetable crudités and houmous
• Eat a “rainbow” of different fruits and vegetables
• Use Active Form Time, break and lunch times as opportunities to move, stretch and exercise.

We continue to take the health of our students very seriously and continue to educate them about the importance of a healthy diet and lifestyle.

We ask our pupils to think about the choices they make when choosing food in and out of school, as well as planning meals and actively deciding to cook, instead of relying on ultra-processed foods. 

Breakfast

We recognise that a good breakfast is really important for our pupils. Guidance can be found by following the link below:

https://www.foodafactoflife.org.uk/media/kt4juc4f/good-breakfast-guide-final.pdf

Lunches

If you choose a packed lunch for your child, the following link has some sensible guidance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNKpfWwup4k

Nuts in School

Comberton Village College supports the approach advocated by The Anaphylaxis Campaign and Allergy UK towards nut free schools.  This would not necessarily support a blanket ban on any allergen in any establishment, including schools.  This is because nuts are only one of the many allergens that could affect pupils, and no school could guarantee a truly allergen free environment for a young person living with a food allergy.  It is advocated instead for schools to adopt a culture of allergy awareness and education.

Students are informed and educated on what allergies are, signs and symptoms, how to deal with allergic reactions and awareness of policies and procedures within school.

Going to university

Going to university is an exciting time, but it can also be a time of change. You will have more choice over what you eat, but also a limited food budget:

https://www.nutrition.org.uk/nutrition-for/students/

Useful links

If you would like to learn more about ultra-processed food, the following link is informative.

What is ultra-processed food? - BBC Food

The following programme, available on BBC iPlayer is well worth a watch too.

BBC iPlayer - What Are We Feeding Our Kids?

 

How the food we eat affects our brain

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyQY8a-ng6g&t=5s

How the food we eat affects our gut https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sISguPDlhY

 

There are also many helpful ideas on swapping food choices for healthier options and ideas for being active for 60 minutes a day at the following links:

• http://www.nhs.uk/change4life/Pages/change-for-life.aspx
• http://www.nhs.uk/change4life/pages/get-going-every-day.aspx

Our Year 7s keep a heath tracker during our annual Healthy Eating Week (in June). This is a great thing to do together as a family. If you’d like to have a go, you can download a tracker here

Recipes

If you would like try some recipes developed for Healthy Eating week over recent years, please follow the links below:

https://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthy-eating-week/recipes/

bean-and-plantain-stew-hew-23.docx (live.com)

easy-veg-frittatas-hew-23.docx (live.com)

fish-cakes-hew-23.docx (live.com)

fresh-and-fruity-veg-salad-hew-23.docx (live.com)

green-mac-and-cheese-hew-23.docx (live.com)

mexican-pockets-hew-23.docx (live.com)

mushroom-and-chickpea-curry-hew-23.docx (live.com)

quibe-hew-23.docx (live.com)

red-lentil-bake-hew-23.docx (live.com)

roast-chickpeas-hew-23.docx (live.com)

If you would like to learn more about Healthy Eating, please follow this link

https://www.nutrition.org.uk/creating-a-healthy-diet/a-healthy-balanced-diet/