The children at Totara Grove have been learning that food that doesn’t have to come from a packet and food that makes you Go, Glow and Grow is a great everyday choice for our bodies.  Go Glow and Grow foods are the foods that our bodies need every day to stay healthy; breads and cereals, dairy products or dairy alternatives, meat or meat alternatives and fruit and vegetables.

There have been some great changes in what comes to school in lunchboxes and now it is easier to keep lunches healthy with the banning of takeaways at school.

To support the healthy messages that children are learning, takeaways will not be accepted at school. If takeaways are bought in, they will not be delivered to the classroom, the child instead receiving healthy sandwiches that St Vincent de Paul kindly donate to the school. A notice went out in the school newsletter prior to give parents notification of the changes the school is making for the health of their children. During Term 2, a policy is to be implemented, to encourage lifelong healthy habits as Principal David Hain comments “that by promoting a healthy diet in children that these eating habits will continue later in life”.

Administrator Ngaire has already noticed a difference in the food being bought to the office “although takeaways are no longer allowed children are not coming to the office to get our sandwiches so obviously parents are coming on board and providing healthier options”. This is great to have support from the school community.

Junior syndicate lead teacher Maureen says “I fully support this.  It’s a great idea for us to promote. Children in my class have really taken on board nude food and often show us their nude food. Jen is doing a great job promoting healthy food and if we aren’t going to support this in our school it is a waste of her time teaching this to our children.”  Nude Food is exactly what it sounds like, food that does not come from a packet and is commonly a Go, Glow or Grow food.

Maureen also suggests the Nude Food changes can grow into other school projects such as reducing waste “Another area to look at would be less rubbish – instead of glad wrap but crackers, etc in a little container.” The benefits of no takeaways and less packaged food are endless!