Many students are not aware of the amount of sugar they consume in a day, especially during the week when they have school. The majority of students don’t have the time or the money to pack a lunch for themselves for school, so they tend to rely on the breakfast, snacks, and lunch programs that are provided at school. Even though they give out healthy lunches and breakfast, students have different opinions on the snack program.
Students mentioned they would like to see healthier options like fruit and vegetables, such as berries, apples, pears, mini oranges, bananas, and veggie sticks. Some also mentioned trail mix packages and protein bars. Eating fruit is also better for the environment because it has little to no plastic packaging, unlike processed foods.
When there are unhealthy and less nutritional options as snacks, students tend to eat them more because of the sugar content, although then they go out for lunch and spend their money on junk food like Slurpees, pop, chips, and the worst, energy drinks.
The nutritional guidelines recommend that as a teenager, you should not exceed more than 25 grams of added sugar per day. High sugar intake can contribute to learning difficulties and hyperactivity, affecting educational performance.
Some teachers at PSO agree that the snacks given out are too high in sugar for the kids, however, others believe that it motivates the kids to come to school more often and gives them energy to go through the day.
“Students spend a large portion of their day at school. Having nutritious food choices at school is important because school lunches and snacks provide students with the energy and nutrients they need throughout the day and provide important vitamins and minerals they need to grow and develop,” Alexis Blueschke, a public health dietitian with Interior Health, said.
There is no limit to the amount of sugar you can consume from fruit if you are consuming whole fruits, as the natural sugars in whole fruits are generally considered beneficial for health. Some examples of whole fruits are apples, oranges, watermelon, bananas, and blueberries.
Some fruits are much higher in sugar, such as mangos, plums, grapefruit, pineapples, and tangerines. If you’re going to consume sugar, fruit is the better way to go! Sugar in fruit, like fructose, is paired with fibre and other nutrients, which helps regulate blood sugar levels. The fibre in fruit slows down the absorption of sugar.
To support schools and school districts, the province has developed the BC School Food Toolkit, recently released by the Ministry of Health. It is a resource that provides guidance on nutrition and includes practical resources like food lists, recipes, meal plans, food safety and allergy information and tips for feeding kids.
At PSO, we get annual grants from a couple of different sources. One of the biggest sources of funding is the provincial Feeding Futures, which Interior Health works with.
Caitlin Currie, the principal at Peter Skene Odgen, mentioned that some of the external donors vary from year to year, such as the 100 Mile Foodbank which donated food last year around May or June, however, they haven’t donated this year yet. They tend to be large single donations each year. President’s Choice and Powerful Kids have also donated in the past.
Overall, PSO is working hard to bring in nutritious foods to better the students' academic learning and general health.
I wanted to write about this topic because I have stopped eating unhealthy sugars and have noticed that I am unable to eat many of the snacks that are provided.
I would like to challenge everybody to a no-added-sugar lifestyle for at least a month and see how you feel physically and mentally! I have felt so much more clearer-headed and healthier overall! Good luck!
