Skip to content Accessibility What's New Complain or Comment Website Feedback Form
Lcc weebsite fox logo for printing
You are here: Home > Education & Learning > Parents > School Food Support > Fit Food

Fit Food

School Food Support Logo

Teenagers and the Healthy Eating Challenge

Fruit
Adolescence is a time for rapid growth, and the primary dietary need is for energy - often reflected in a voracious appetite! Ideally, foods contributing to dietary energy should comply with healthy eating principles.
In practice, though, this often isn't the case; average consumption of fat and sugars is high, while that of starchy carbohydrates and fibre is low.

Nutritional survey provides alarming results

The Government's July 2000 National Diet and Nutritional Survey provided detailed information on the nutritional intakes and physical activity levels of young people aged 4-18 yrs old in the UK and reflected these trends.
Alarmingly, during the seven-day recording period, more than half the young people in the survey hadn't eaten any citrus fruits, leafy green vegetables, such as cabbage, greens or broccoli, eggs or raw tomatoes.
Taking into account today's sedentary lifestyles, the results of the Government's survey, and adding to it the well documented evidence of the benefits of healthy eating, it is therefore just as important for the SFSS to arm Leicestershire's young people with healthy eating knowledge as it is to provide a variety of healthy lunch options.

Fit Food campaign

In spring 2007, the SFSS team launched a simple communications campaign in schools, to raise awareness of healthy eating, to provide information on the basic food groups and to encourage healthy choices:
  • For primary children
    SFSS created the Good Food Gang - fun, foody characters with special qualities (fight germs, grow stronger). The Good Food Gang helped to introduce the 5 food groups to younger children and create awareness of the benefits of choosing healthy food.
  • For secondary children
    Secondary schools will soon receive supplies of the 'Fit Food' leaflet to hand onto their pupils. The leaflet provides straightforward facts on the benefits of keeping fit and healthy. It includes information on:
    • the 5 basic food groups and their essential roles for healthy growth
    • basic adolescent needs for key nutrients like calcium and iron (see 'Foods to choose')

Share your Ideas

If schools have any comments on the Fit Food campaign, would like more leaflets or have other educational ideas to share with us, please let us know.

Further Educational Support

If you require any further assistance with educational ideas or resources for secondary children, the SFSS team can provide information packs or work with your teachers in lesson planning and presentation.
Please contact us using our online form or call the SFSS team on 0116 3055770.
 
Page Last Updated: 5 October 2010