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School Meals Just as Healthy as Home Food

Posted on: Wednesday, 5 October 2005, 18:15 CDT

LONDON -- Children who eat school meals are just as healthy, if not healthier, than those who bring packed lunches, British doctors said on Thursday.

Despite concerns over the quality of food being served at schools, a study found pupils eating school dinners had lower levels of blood cholesterol, blood sugar and insulin, than those eating food brought from home.

The results, published online by the British Medical Journal, come days after the government published rules to boost the nutritional content of school meals following protests over the amount of junk food served to pupils.

Professor Peter Whincup, from St George's Hospital, University of London, said improvements also had to be made in the nutrition of food eaten by children in packed lunches and outside school.

"A lot of the content of lunch boxes reflects convenience rather than nutrition, with crisps and chocolate bars and canned drinks," said Whincup, lead author of the study.

"What I would stress is the need to take a broader view of the nutrition of young people, rather than just focusing on the content of school meals."

The research was based on 1,100 secondary school pupils in 72 schools across England and Wales between 1998 and 2000.

The study also measured the pupils' height, weight, waist and hip circumference and percentage of body fat, and found that those eating the school food also had lower levels of leptin, which is important in regulating body fat.

The only deficiency the study identified among school meal eaters was the level of folate, a B vitamin found in green leafy vegetables.

"That clearly does support the drive for more fresh food in school meals -- particularly fresh fruit and vegetables which is likely to raise folate levels," Whincup said.

"And from what other people are saying, that may also have beneficial effects on behavior as well."

Campaigners for better food in schools say pupils' behavior improves when their fast-food diet is replaced by meals made with fresh and nutritious ingredients.

Source: REUTERS

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