Six tips to eat better during online school days

AS the situation would have it for now, school children are embracing online classes from home as their new normal. 

Many parents have been lamenting to me their exasperation at having to see to their children’s meals, all whilst juggling other responsibilities of the day (and their own work-from-home assignments). 

A friend of mine, who’s a working mother of three young kids describes it best when she exclaimed, “It seems like I’m constantly stuck in the kitchen like I’m running a school canteen!”  

Here are some tips I’d like to share with you to make eating healthy on busy online school days a breeze.

Keep to a schedule

During the school holidays, kids tend to wake up later than usual and meal timings go topsy-turvy as a result of that. 

Many parents tell me their kids wake up late just in time for their online classes and breakfast is the meal they tend to skip because they’re not hungry just yet. 

Research shows that skipping breakfast can cause a dip in concentration, especially when doing tasks that require focus and attention. 

Now that the school year has started, it’s time to get back into the routine of the school’s timetable. Be aware of when school starts, recess times and lunch. 

Wake your child earlier before classes start so they have ample time to start the day with some breakfast. 

By keeping meals and snacks to a schedule, your child will be sufficiently nourished and more attentive to their online class work – and you don’t have to keep making something in the kitchen at their whim and fancy.  

Tip: Breakfasts need not be time consuming.  Wholegrain breakfast cereal with milk or sandwiches with different fillings such as canned tuna, cheese or peanut butter are quick no-cook breakfast ideas. 

Pre-plan a simple menu

Work out a simple menu for the school week that the whole family can eat. A menu helps you better plan out nutritionally balanced meals and snacks by including servings of grains, vegetables, protein, fruit and dairy.  

I do this in my home and it’s been a time saver for me when I go to the grocery store to do my weekly shopping!    

Tip: Let your children make suggestions when you are planning the menu for the week. By getting them involved in their suggestions, you will have less fuss and refusals to eat what you have made. 

Keep the menu simple so you can prepare it easily. You’ll notice that children don’t mind if there’s familiarity, so don’t feel like you have to think up a new meal idea every time. 

Try meal prepping

Cooking a little extra on days you cook and storing it is another great way to save time on busy school days. 

Many dishes like curries, stews, pasta sauces and soups keep in the freezer. Storing them does not change their nutritional value. 

You can also keep some pantry staples like frozen vegetables, canned tuna, sardines, baked beans or pasta sauce so you can whip up a quick meal for the family even if you are too busy to go grocery shopping. 

Another prep I often do is to cut up fresh fruit and keep them in individual serving containers so they’re ready to eat when we need a quick snack.      

Tip: Left over foods can be kept for up to three days in the fridge. Foods in the freezer can be stored for up to six months. 

Be sure to label the date on them so you know how long it’s been. Also, freeze small portions of foods so you only need to defrost however much you want for that meal. 

Stay hydrated

As much as you plan for your kids’ meals, don’t forget they need to stay hydrated as well. Once they start to feel thirsty, they’re already getting dehydrated. So, it’s important that they be encouraged to drink up. 

Water is best. Consuming too much sugary, flavoured beverages will just be additional empty calories your child can do without. 

Make sure you fill up a tumbler of water for your child, and remind them to have water breaks at the end of each class. 

Tip: If your child dislikes the taste of plain water, you can infuse it with some fresh fruit juice to give it some taste. 

Snack time ground rules

It’s ever so convenient to snack at anytime when studying from home. Here’s where you will need to set some ground rules with your kids on the time to snack during the online school day to avoid them indiscriminately snacking whenever they get bored or lose focus in class. 

An ideal time for a light snack would be the midmorning recess time as in the school schedule. 

It’s a good idea to plan for snacks in your menu for the week so you have healthier options on hand. 

Some nutritious, easy snacks include wholegrain crackers and cheese or peanut butter, fresh fruit, yogurt, steamed corn, steamed sweet potato, cut vegetable sticks with hummus, boiled chickpeas or homemade frozen popsicles by blending milk with fruit or freezing chocolate or strawberry milk.   

Tip: Avoid putting out containers of snack foods and tidbits on the dining table or coffee table. Snacks are hard to resist when they are in the line of sight. Even adults find it hard to resist, what more children!  

Keep active

Children are a bundle of energy. At school, they would have been out playing during recess time. 

Online studying can be confining, and the long hours of staring at a computer can cause shoulder and neck aches. Do plan for your child to have bouts of movement and stretching to diffuse pent up energy. 

Tip: What I’ve been doing with my daughter for periodic monotony breaks is to play a song and get up and dance around for those few minutes. 

The goofiness of it gets us laughing which makes us all feel better. We go out for walks in the evening to enjoy the outdoors a bit. If it rains, then we’d do an online workout and some stretches. 

I sincerely hope these tips help you and your children. Keep meals simple and nourishing so that it boosts your health in this new norm for all of us. – The Vibes, February 7, 2021

Indra Balaratnam is a consultant dietitian with a private practice in Kuala Lumpur. Connect with her on her Facebook page: Indra Balaratnam Nutrition or on Instagram: @indrabalaratnamnutrition