Childhood Nutrition

It is linked to what parents pack in the school tiffin box.

- Ramesh Kumar Raja

School tiffin boxes are one of the most significant sources of nutrition for school-going children, say doctors. Nutritionists have also noted that inculcating healthy food-intake habits during tiffin hours can significantly reduce the burden of childhood obesity.

“Healthy childhood habits increase the chances of a person being healthy in adult life too. These give a person a good start to life, and form the building blocks on which to develop a child who is accustomed to eating a white bread-jam sandwich is less likely to be healthy both now and in the future than one who takes a poha with-peanuts-and-vegetables tiffin.

The lunch box is an important component in the child’s development, accounting for almost 1/4th of the daily nutritional requirement. Hence, a school lunch box should be holistic in nature, and contain a right balance of protein, carbohydrate, vitamins and minerals. Of these, protein builds the body, carbohydrates give energy, while vitamins and minerals help in a variety of body functions, especially in keeping up a child’s immunity,” says dietician Dr Shalini Garwin Bliss.