Positive Health and Good Nutrition
Eating well is good for your mental as well as your physical health. Discovery College promotes the serving of healthy whole foods to our students to support life-long healthy eating habits, increase energy levels for study and help reduce the chances of potentially disabling diseases including tooth decay, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) “Unhealthy diet and lack of physical activity are leading global risks to health.” The WHO recommends a reduction in our intake of sugar, unhealthy fat and salt. “Evidence indicates the intake of free sugars should be reduced to less than 10% of total energy intake and that a reduction to less than 5% of total energy intake provides additional health benefits. Free sugars are all sugars added to foods or drinks by the manufacturer, cook or consumer, as well as sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates.” World Health Organisation
We encourage students to bring ‘Brain Food’ to eat at school. This is whole food that will help nourish minds and bodies. Research indicates that eating fruits and vegetables and healthy snacks throughout the day isn’t simply good for the body, it’s also beneficial for the mind.
Examples of ‘Brain Food’ includes:
whole fresh fruits e.g. bananas, grapes, berries, apples, kiwi, lychees, oranges
nuts (note our no peanut policy). Almonds make a great snack
wholegrain crackers and bread with savoury fillings
wholemeal homemade pizza
wholegrain noodles or rice tossed with vegetables
whole wheat pitas with hummus
boiled eggs – a great protein source
seeds e.g. sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds
homemade trail mix
brown rice crackers
avocado dip with vegetable sticks
natural Greek yoghurt with chopped fruit
popcorn (popped from the kernel – NOT the microwave type)
homemade oat cookies
Drinks and Food
To maintain concentration, energy levels and aid digestion it is essential to maintain our fluid intake. The healthiest way to do this is with water.
Discovery College has many chilled and filtered water fountains located on various levels around the school that can be used to refill water bottles. The use of reusable drinking bottles is also an important step in protecting our environment from unwanted packaged drink containers and disposable plastic bottles. Avoiding packaged processed food is also helpful in protecting our environment.
Discovery College does not support high sugar treats in our school for both health and medical reasons. We actively discourage the bringing of cakes and lolly/candy/sweets bags for all students at times of birthdays and celebrations. More suitable options include fruit platters, vegetable sticks and dips, craft and activity packs. We ask that you be mindful of other families' food choices. Whole food choices support our children to develop healthy lifelong eating habits and support learning. Please contact your child’s teacher / Learning Advisor prior to organising food or treats for anyone other than your own child.