Mid-morning snack: what are the best foods to take to school?
Schools are starting up again and with them the hope of a gradual return to “normality”.
One of the most debated topics among parents is how to keep their little ones healthy through nutrition, especially when they are away from home for many hours.
In this regard, we went to find an interesting article taken from the Gambero Rosso website, from which we have extrapolated some interesting ideas for the snack of half of the young students.
The article is based on an interview with two experts in the sector: nutritionist Tiziana Stallone and professor Fausto Aufieri of Vis Sanatrix Naturae, a nutritional biotherapy center in Rome.
In summary, these are the key points of the snack advice:
1) Yes to the savory snack, perhaps based on bread and oil or a breadstick wrapped in raw ham or bresaola.
2) Yes even to bread croutons soaked in egg and fried (in moderation!)
3) Yes to the classic donut and bread with jam, even with a sauce of butter (especially for athletes).
Bread with honey is also excellent!
4) Yes to fruit but not alone!
5) Yes to home-made drinks based on water and lemon slightly sweetened or sweetened with a little honey.
Yes to home-made herbal teas and karkadè.
5) No to packaged snacks that are too sweet or too salty or high in fat.
6) No to sweet drinks and no to fruit juices.
Below are the most interesting excerpts from the GR article.
The nutritionist comments on the mid-morning snack at school in this way: “Every child at school must have a mid-morning snack.
And if the snacks are abolished, what can be the best solution? “The ideal would be the snacks of the past such as panzanella, but also the classic bread and oil”, a perfect match for everyone’s diet, young and old (…) ”
Professor Aufiero, on the other hand, recommends breadsticks wrapped with a slice of raw ham or bresaola, “as long as they are of good quality” (…)
Another suggestion of Dr. Aufiero is to prepare fried croutons based on bread soaked in egg, “excellent because they have the egg proteins necessary for development, and because they are able to provide the right energy level to face the day”.
No absolute veto on frying, “to always be consumed in a moderate way”;
rather on sugar, another hot topic in childhood: “The real damage comes from solutions with a high glycemic index such as commercial fruit juices and various snacks”. (…)
Desserts, however, should not be abolished, but chosen with awareness. “If there is no diabetic inheritance in the child, the classic homemade donut can be an excellent solution for a snack”.
And to drink? “Slightly sweetened water and lemon, perhaps with a little honey, or herbal teas or karkadè, which children usually like a lot”.
Fruit plays a fundamental role, but not as a protagonist: “There is nothing more wrong than a fruit-only snack, which raises the glycemic index and often does not satisfy the child”.
Other sweet solutions? “Bread and honey, bread and jam, even with a layer of butter”, says Tiziana, “especially suitable for children who play sports thanks to its short-chain fatty acids, such as butyric acid”
If you are interested in reading the complete article you can find it on site of Gambero Rosso on this link.
If you want to know the best flours to prepare an excellent snack for your children to take to school
discover our line Anima 3Colori 100% Italian wheat for cakes and bread.
