Healthy food at Childcare Encouraging Healthy Eating

Healthy Food at Childcare Munch & Move Service, providing Healthy breakfast / morning tea / afternoon tea Support for families to provide healthy lunchboxes A supportive environment for healthy eating Regular nutrition information for families Water is encouraged throughout the day These are some of the ways that we support the healthy food message at Childcare. We are a Munch & Move Service … this means we aim to promote the key messages of the Munch & Move program which is a NSW Health program supporting the healthy development of young children attending early childhood services across NSW. We provide a Healthy … (Delete / add what meals/snacks are provided) We have fact sheets etc. available to help with strategies / ideas for healthy lunchboxes We plan healthy eating activities around the Munch messages of: Choose water as a drink Eat fewer snacks Select healthier snack alternatives Eat more fruit and vegetables These learning experiences are designed to introduce young children to the concept of healthy food and drinks and to generate positive attitudes towards these healthy choices. In addition, unstructured unplanned learning experiences to support the key healthy eating messages are also integrated throughout each day. We provide a supportive environment for healthy eating, for example through our nutrition policy and development opportunities for our educators We aim to provide information on healthy eating to families on a regular basis

Breakfast provides energy and nutrition for the morning helps with healthy body weight helps learning and concentration helps get in the habit of eating in the morning What is a healthy breakfast? Some examples… Wholegrain cereal, reduced fat milk and fruit Wholegrain toast, spread and glass of reduced fat milk So, before children even get to childcare, (or when they arrive if breakfast is provided), it’s important they get their day off to a great start with a healthy breakfast… Why?

Childcare Lunchboxes Children can eat up to half of their daily food intake at childcare It is important to pack nutritious food to help your child to: have energy to play concentrate and learn grow and develop When packing your child’s lunchbox, these are a few things to keep in mind…

Childcare Lunchbox Tips Keep it simple (not too much choice) Ensure foods can be opened and eaten easily Pack foods that travel well Pack food in labelled reusable containers rather than buying small pre packaged snacks Keep lunchboxes cold with icepacks or frozen water.

What to include in a Lunchbox A good helping of fruit and vegetables Fresh fruit is easy to pack, or a tub of canned fruit. Raw vegies such as carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes, cucumber or capsicum strips. Starchy food bread, rice, potatoes and pasta (wholegrain, wholemeal or high fibre breads, rolls, Lebanese bread, pita, lavash, bagels; brown and white rice; or pasta) Lean protein tuna or salmon (fresh or canned in spring water or canola, sunflower or olive oil); boiled eggs; beans; lean beef or chicken Reduced fat dairy food reduced fat yoghurt, reduced fat cheese or reduced fat milk A bottle of tap water Freeze on hot days to keep the lunch box cool. OPTIONAL: Link to Lunchbox Video (runs for 3 minutes) if you wish to show: http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcsite.nsf/pagesvideo/healthy_lunchbox_what_to_include?open

Healthy Snack Ideas Choose from: Wholegrain crackers, rice cakes or corn cakes with cheese or Vegemite® spread Fruit or plain scones Pikelets Fresh fruit – whole or cut up in a container Dried fruit – sultanas, apricots Crunchy vegetables – capsicum, carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes Yoghurt or custard Cubes or slices of cheese Reduced fat milk These are some of the many examples of healthy snacks based on foods from the core food groups.

Healthy food initiatives at Childcare Planned and unplanned teaching, e.g. about “everyday” and “sometimes” food Special occasions – healthy food and drinks encouraged Caring for the environment – composting, worm farm, vegetable garden, waste free lunch days Rewards – non food items such as stickers, stamps, pencils Healthy fundraisers Optional points to discuss – delete whatever isn’t appropriate for your service

Food allergies Our Service has a (*insert allergen*) free policy If your child has a severe allergic reaction to food - please notify service. Optional slide – if your Service has a child with a severe allergic reaction to food, please add information specific to your Service.

Food at School ‘Nutrition in Schools Policy’ based on the Fresh tastes @ School healthy canteen strategy covers a ‘whole of school’ approach to healthy eating, including : School canteen School functions Fundraising Food as rewards Vending machines Crunch & Sip break – for children to eat fruit, vegetables and water OPTIONAL SLIDE – IF USING FOR TRANSITION TO SCHOOL PRESENTATION Looking forward to when your child starts school… DEC schools have a Nutrition in Schools Policy, and Catholic schools have a similar policy These policies cover all aspects of healthy eating at school, based on the Fresh tastes @ School healthy canteen strategy. 1. Nutrition in Schools Policy (DEC July 2011) https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/policies/student_serv/student_health/nutrition/ PD20110420.shtml?level=Schools&categories=Schools%7Cwellbeing%7Chealth 2. Nutrition in schools policy for the Diocesan School System (Nov 2011) www.csodbb.catholic.edu.au/resources/pdfs/Nutrition%20In%20Schools% Fresh tastes @ School policy has nutrition criteria to determine which food and drinks can be sold in the canteen. Soft drinks and sugar sweetened drinks are banned for sale.

More information Central Coast Health Promotion website www.healthpromotion.com.au Healthy Kids website – host site for Munch & Move www.healthykids.nsw.gov.au