School Canteen And Benefits
The nutrition of their children is a major concern for parents around the world. It is essential for children to eat well, but on more than one occasion, meals become a real problem. In addition to generating anxiety or rejection, the relationship with food can become conflictual. Enrolling children in the school canteen is a possible solution to some problematic attitudes towards food. In addition, as we will see in this article, it offers many other benefits.
The school canteen is a service offered by most schools. In fact, nutrition and nutrition are also of vital importance during the growth phase of children. It can be a different way to socialize with peers and overcome any bad eating habits learned at home.
Advantages of the school canteen
The school canteen aims to be an additional form of health education, as it promotes the development of hygiene habits and encourages proper nutrition.
Another advantage to point out is that children will learn the correct use of cutlery and napkins, as well as the adoption of correct body posture during the meal. Not forgetting that they will also learn to respect their classmates and the staff who work in the school canteen.
Social skills are also developed in these spaces. Your children will spend time with their peers even outside the classroom, in a more relaxed and pleasant environment. They will be able to sit next to new friends and establish relationships with different people or even strengthen bonds with those they already know.
On the other hand, the choice of the school canteen will help you to lighten the work at home and diversify the free time you spend with the children. In this way, thanks to the new habits acquired by eating at school, you can be together outside meals, playing and talking. Many times, mom and dad cook while their baby is watching TV, without there being a real moment of sharing.
In fact, it is very likely that your children will perform better when they have lunch and dinner at home. Always provided that the experience in the school canteen is positive.
When to send children to the school canteen?
Below we will see some cases in which it is advisable to take children to the school canteen.
They don’t eat well at home
Imitation is key in children’s learning. When they see their friends eating, they will be encouraged to eat too. In the presence of their parents, they feel the attention on them and often, even if only out of spite, they refuse certain foods.
In the canteen, however, they do not enjoy so much attention and will be pushed to eat even the dishes they least like, such as vegetables.
They socialize little
The school canteen is a space where you can share moments with others and socialize. All the classmates are together. In addition, the meal is a moment of relaxation, ideal for establishing relationships and having fun.
You have little time to cook
One of the most common reasons for enrolling children in the school canteen is that parents have little time to cook. Packaged foods are often used that are not in line with the nutritional needs of developing babies.
In the canteens, healthy and balanced foods are prepared, following precise instructions provided by a dietician or nutritionist. A check is also carried out by the ASLs with the collaboration of the public bodies concerned.
No problem in case of allergy
Allergies can be a reason for social exclusion for children, as they are given special treatment. The school canteen, on the other hand, is perfectly equipped to meet these needs.
Alternative menus will be provided for children who have allergies to certain foods or food intolerances. Moreover, they will be able to eat together with their companions in a completely normal way.
They will learn routines and schedules
The school canteen has intervals that are repeated every day and that all children must respect. These are real timetables that establish a limited time for each course. This favors their concentration when eating and, above all, they will learn to finish the dish without leaving anything behind.
They will broaden their tastes
As you well know, example is fundamental in the education of children. For this reason it is unlikely that your children will get used to eating everything if you first refuse certain dishes.
In the school canteen, in addition to following a balanced diet based on controlled products, children will get to know new flavors and expand the range of dishes usually prepared at home.
Healthier habits, learning to taste and eat all foods, knowing how to stay at the table with respect for fellow students and those who serve. These are some of the advantages of the school canteen. Without forgetting the possibility, for some tired parents, to considerably lighten their domestic tasks.
The school canteen can become a very advantageous experience for you and your children, both from an educational and food point of view. If children go to elementary school, always inquire and check that this service is adequate and suitable for the needs of children.
