Materia Medica Malaysiana

Let's eat healthy at school

Roti canai, nasi lemak, noodles, curry puffs and starchy kuihs are just some local breakfast staples commonly found in school canteens around the country. While delicious and popular, these dishes may not be the healthiest of options for children.
Schools should play a major role in promoting healthy eating habits among pupils. Research shows that unhealthy eating habits picked up in childhood often continue through adulthood.
Nutrition Society of Malaysia president Dr Tee E Siong says, “An obese child is more likely to become an obese adult as cholesterol deposits start in childhood. This is serious as obesity leads to health problems like diabetes and heart disease.”
Specialist in community, child and clinical nutrition Rekha Naidu, who has 22 years of experience working as a dietician in the United Kingdom, Botswana, and Malaysia, says growing children require three main meals a day – breakfast, lunch, dinner – as well as two to three snacks.
“Breakfast plays a very important role as energy is required by the brain for school children to concentrate. This is vital for everyone.
“A mid-morning snack should provide nutrients and energy from the main food groups – carbohydrates, fats, protein – plus fruits and vegetables for fibre and vitamins.”
What healthy choices would she recommend for children?
“Something low in fat content,” says Rekha.
“For instance, instead of eating nasi lemak or roti canai every day, limit this to two or three times a week. Also, the fat content in these recipes can be reduced. The Healthy Recipe Book produced by the Nutrition Society of Malaysia shows how to make healthy nasi lemak.”
Chocolate rolls, cakes or sugar-filled drinks like soda and syrups are also a no-no if we want children to perform optimally in class.
A British study conducted two years ago by researcher Dr Claire Pincock reveals that children who chose sugary snacks over a proper breakfast did not perform very well. The Reading University research project showed that nine to 16-year-olds who ate traditional breakfasts of healthy cereals performed better at mental tasks than their counterparts who had chocolate or fizzy drinks. The second group reacted to mental activities at the same rate as 70-year-olds!
“Although cognitive functions decline in the morning, we found that the rate of decline among children who ate complex carbohydrates (from cereal or toast) was only half that among children who ate simple carbohydrates found in sugary food,” says Dr Pincock.
Healthy eating however does not mean cutting out everything that you like.
“That is a myth. The basic idea is to eat everything in moderation,” says Rekha.
Educating caterers
School canteen operators, says Rekha, must be educated on how to reduce the fat and sugar content in meals.
“School canteens require the guidance of qualified nutritionists or dieticians. The Health Ministry, the Nutrition Society of Malaysia and the Malaysian Dieticians’ Association should work together to promote healthy eating in schools.
“Canteens should provide more fruit and vegetable options, for instance, sweet corn in a cup,” she adds.
The hygiene of school canteens and the nutritional value of food sold there can be improved by implementing some very simple changes to common practices. For instance, she says, canteens can use filtered or boiled water, and sell less syrupy drinks.
Steps have recently been taken to enhance school children’s awareness of food nutrition and cleanliness, says Rekha.
“Since 2003, students have been asked to record their food intake in school. However, not many parents are aware of this. This exercise was introduced to increase awareness about healthy snacks so students can make right choices.”
Better but not enough
In recent years, school canteens have improved in terms of types of food sold, said secondary school teacher Rosalind Tan.
“About seven years ago, you could find a wide variety of junk food –- from locally-manufactured prawn crackers to puffs of various sizes. Now, these are not sold anymore. You may have some freshly fried keropok leko or french fries but no more processed chips. Fizzy drinks are also scarce,” says Tan.
National Union of the Teaching Profession president Ismail Nihat says pressure from Parent Teacher Associations as well as more stringent Education Ministry guidelines are responsible for this.
Food servings at school canteens are small and may not be enough for growing children. – Filepic
“The guidelines are very clear about the type of food that is allowed or not allowed to be sold in school canteens. Processed food is not encouraged and neither is food with colouring and preservatives. Hot food such as fried noodles or red bean porridge, for instance, must be freshly prepared.
“While we still receive complaints from parents about schools that do not follow these guidelines, these are in the minority,” he says.
The Association of School Canteen Operators president William Huee agrees that the sale of junk food is much less than it used to be five years ago although there are still schools that flout the guidelines.
A review done by the association some time ago suggests that operators in certain states are more defiant of ministry guidelines than others, with some schools finding ways to get around prescribed rules by selling junk food inco-operatives instead of in school canteens.
“Our review shows that some canteens, especially in Pahang and Terengganu, are still selling junk food, fizzy drinks, sweets and popcorn with artificial colouring. This is worrying.
“What is worse, school co-operatives that are not allowed to sell food are actually selling junk food to students,” said Huee.
Student Manisha Gopal says she and her friends prefer to buy food from the school's co-operative.
“The co-op sells home-made cakes which are really nice as well as Twisties and Cheezels which we cannot get in the canteen. We only spend about 50 sen on these snacks; this allows us to save some of our pocket money,” she says.
Klang Malay Canteen Operators Association secretary Abdul Rahman Abdul Rahim adds that another problem was outside vendors who park their vehicles outside the school compound either before or after school hours to sell junk food to children.
“What is the use of banning these types of food in the canteen if students can freely buy them outside? Something has to be done to stop these vendors,” he says.
Choice ok, servings measly
Sixteen-year old Zainab Ali has no problems with the food sold in the canteen of her school located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur but find portions too small.
“There is a wide variety of food to choose from and we get different menus for each day of the week.
“A plate of rice or a bowl of mee costs about RM1. But the amount is very little. It is not enough for me if I am really hungry,” she says.
Eleven-year-old Khatijah Kamal says she has to have two servings of nasi lemak if she wants to feel full.
“One packet is about 50 sen but I need to eat at least two packets before I feel full. Unfortunately, my allowance is not enough for me to buy two packets everyday. The same with the mee, nuggets or kuih sold – the portions are very small. I wish my canteen sold buns or bread – I think they are more filling,” she says.
National Collaborative Council of Parent Teacher Associations president Assoc Prof Mohd Ali Hassan says small portions are one way school canteen operators get around the price ceiling set by the authorities.
“There is a recommended price which operators have to follow. However, some raise their price, bit by bit, without permission or informing the school authorities. Others get around this by charging the same but reducing the portions. This is an area that needs enforcement,” he says.
Nine-year-old Elsie Chia says she has to rush to be the first in line during recess in case the food she likes runs out.
“My friends and I usually rush to the canteen as soon as the bell rings. We like the nasi lemak but because it is so popular, we have to make sure we are early or else there won't be any left. Most of us buy two packets each as one packet is too little. Some boys even eat three packets,” she says.
To save money, Elsie and her friends bring water from home so that they do not have to spend another 50 sen on drinks.
However, school canteen operator Lee, who has managed a stall in a school canteen in Petaling Jaya for the last two years, defended the prices charged.
“We cannot simply charge as we like as we are bound by the price set by the school in our contract,” says Lee.
“We charge between 40 sen for kuih or curry puffs and RM1.50 for a piece of fried chicken or a burger.
“We don't get much profit after paying for electricity, water and also our supplies,” he adds.