“The papaya juice came back,” laughs Palaniappan. He is talking about an experiment that did not go down well with kids. But those have been few and far, he says, as extensive surveys, research and polls went into building up a menu that was not only attractive to children but also fulfilled their nutritional requirements. Coimbatore-based Palaniappan, Vellayan Lakshmanan, Saravanan Vellayan, Vivek Chidambaram and Babu Alagappan call themselves the nutrition partners to schools and spearhead Habitos, an organisation that provides midday snacks and lunches to school children that tick all boxes for nourishment as well as taste. Nine schools have signed up with them. Helping them with the school menus is Dr Priyamvada Chandramouli, Child Nutrition Expert and Wellness Consultant from Bengaluru. She is also founder of AlmaNourisher that offers pre-school child nutrition consultancy services. She has planned balanced, age-specific and flavourful menus that kids won’t ignore. “We pay so much attention to sports and studies. Nutrition needs the same degree of time and attention,” she says and firmly believes children should be inducted into good eating habits early. The kids must gobble up Chandramouli’s menus as it has goodies such as Healthy Muffins made of whole wheat flour with fruits, carrot or cheese! There are granola bars as well as sattu maavu laddoos. “The children AND the parents should be happy with the snack. So we also provide the school the menu along with the nutritional value of the servings of food.” choco chip muffin from Habitos | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Yuvabharati Public Schools is one of the schools that has embraced the midday snacks with enthusiasm. Principal Geetha Jayachandran says that is because Habitos echoes their own food philosophy of ‘no junk’. “We welcomed what Habitos offered. Our school counsellor had drawn my attention to how children were distracted by mid-morning and we deduced that a drop in sugar levels may be the reason. Some of the kids leave home really early and have probably only drink a glass of milk before school. Our lunch break comes only around noon. That is a big time gap. But now during the midday break that is around 9.00 am, children have something nutritious and healthy waiting for them outside the classroom.” Jayachandran observes that the students have taken to the snacks and there is little wastage. “The menu keeps changing so the kids do not get bored. The mid-day snack is compulsory in the school (for teachers too) and the lunch subscription is optional,” she adds. After talking to parents, school authorities and children, Habitos identified the gaps in the nutrition after interviewing 60 students across age groups. It emerged that their breakfast did not meet even 40 per cent of the required nutritional requirement. “The midday snack that we serve therefore assumes that much more importance. It is the first proper intake of food they have in the day,” says Palaniappan. Curd Vadaa from Habitos | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement The snack is chosen and packed with care. It is non-messy and can be eaten comfortably in a 10-minute break. Most important, it is fresh and kept outside classrooms just minutes before the morning break. Children rush out of their classes to find a juice (watermelon, grape, musk melon or a lime mint cooler), millet cookies, the good old sundal (peanuts, sprouts, chana, etc.), a biscuit or a milk pudding and a vegetable or fruit mini sandwich. “This takes care of their requirement of vitamins, carbohydrates, minerals, proteins and fibre,” points out Palaniappan, and keeps them alert in class. “Our nutritionist has given the menu much thought and we deliver it in hygienic re-useable containers. Kids just have to pick up their dabbas, eat their snacks and they are good to go!” Rohini Thiagarajan has a daughter in class ten and she is grateful for the the mid day snack. “It is too early in the morning to push her to eat a proper breakfast. And knowing that the school has organised a healthy and tasty mid day snack is a relief. Earlier, I did send biscuits or a piece of fruit, but they were neither filling nor particularly appetising. But now my daughter enjoys the pav bhaji and sandwiches she gets there (the pav and bread are made of wheat). She gets an extra boost with the fresh fruit juice that they also serve. In the mad rush of getting breakfast and lunch ready for the day, worrying about the mid day snack is now off my mind.” Ishwarya Sevugan fervently agrees. She says she had never given much thought to nutritional requirements and usually packed what there was at home. But she now is relieved that the midday snack she has subscribed for her son takes care of his nutrition for at least one meal. “He loves it. The only problem is that now he demands a similar snack even in the weekends when he is at home!” Paneer Kathi Roll from Habitos | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement To know more call 0422-4960101/9842318000 or visit www.habitos.in Food for thought Dr Dharini Krishnan. Consultant Dietitian, Chennai, says: “Times have changed. Children now travel greater distances to reach schools whereas, in the past, we usually went to a school in the neighbourhood. So children leave home much earlier than we did and there is no time for a hearty or leisurely breakfast. Paying attention to what, when and how our children eat is paramount. Introducing them to a proper diet early is a way of ensuring they do not fall prey to lifestyle diseases.” Dr Krishnan has a few tips for parents that may help children make healthy eating a way of life rather than a chore. “It is important children are involved with food,” she says. 1) Do NOT give children adult helpings and expect them to clean up their plate/dabba 2) Ensure their lunch has rice/millet/wheat, dal and at least half a cup of vegetables 3) Along with the three main meals a day, give them a snack. Ensure they consume at least 500 mls of milk/curd 4) Allow your kids to choose, buy and clean the vegetable and fruits 5) Mealtimes should be family time, NOT television time 6) Set boundaries about how long a child can take over a meal. 7) Do not get into the habit of serving ‘special’ food for the kids. After a certain age, children should be eating what the family eats 8) If your child leaves very early for school ensure, he has an extra mid-morning snack dabba with a stuffed idli, a roti roll or sundal.

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