The Importance of Healthy Nutrition and School Meal Programs

Healthy Nutrition

Nutrition is the use of foods that contain essential nutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals) and bioactive compounds required for growth, development, the protection, improvement, and maintenance of health, and for a good quality of life, through adequate and balanced consumption and utilization in the body.

Ensuring that foods are included in daily nutrition in sufficient, adequate, and balanced amounts is defined as healthy nutrition or optimal nutrition. Healthy nutrition is not shaped by populist trends or time-bound conditions; it is a lifestyle that begins in the womb and should be learned and practiced throughout all stages of life, including infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age.

Foods contain the nutrients and bioactive compounds required by the body in different amounts and forms. Some of these compounds cannot be synthesized by the body and must be obtained through foods. It is difficult to track detailed information about these compounds for all foods. However, there are more practical approaches that can be followed for healthy nutrition. In addition, individuals’ food choices may be influenced by many factors such as traditions, economic, cultural, and environmental conditions, age, gender, genetics, and lifestyle. Yet, considering all foods available worldwide, it can be seen that there is a wide variety that allows these choices to be made in the best possible way.

Healthy nutrition is largely based on food diversity. The key role in using this diversity most effectively to meet our body’s daily nutrient and energy requirements lies in food groups. Foods are classified into five groups:

1) Milk and dairy products (Milk, yogurt, ayran, kefir, cheese, milk-based desserts)

2) Protein-rich foods (Meat-Poultry-Fish-Eggs-Legumes-Oilseeds-Nuts)

3) Grains (Bulgur, rice, pasta, etc.)

4) Vegetables

5) Fruits

It is recommended that these food groups be consumed according to the “Healthy Plate,” developed based on Türkiye’s dietary pattern, and in line with the “Healthy Nutrition and Physical Activity Pyramid,” which also considers the role of physical activity in health.

It is recommended that foods be consumed as shown in the “Healthy Nutrition and Physical Activity Pyramid.”

The goal is to select and consume at least one food from each group on the plate at every meal. Providing the recommended amount of water in daily nutrition, including olive oil in the daily diet, and supporting an active lifestyle are important complements to a healthy lifestyle.

In 2019, the Lancet Commission, established by scientists from 16 countries to develop global scientific targets for healthy nutrition, emphasized that large-scale and coordinated efforts are required to transform the global food system into sustainable food systems and to obtain healthy diets from these systems.

The Commission published several key targets for the scientific boundaries of a universal healthy diet applicable to all people worldwide:

1. Unhealthy and unsustainably produced foods pose a global risk to people and the planet. Unhealthy diets threaten local ecosystems and the stability of the Earth system.
2. Current dietary trends, combined with an estimated population growth reaching 10 billion by 2050, will further increase risks to people and the planet (greenhouse gas emissions, nitrogen and phosphorus pollution, biodiversity loss, and water and land scarcity).
3. Acting in line with scientific targets for healthy nutrition and sustainable food production will guide the necessary transformations and changes.
4. Healthy diets should consist of age- and gender-appropriate calorie intake, a wide variety of plant-based foods, moderate amounts of animal-based foods, unsaturated fats instead of saturated fats, and lower amounts of refined grains, added sugars, and ultra-processed foods.
5. By adopting healthy dietary patterns for all people, achieving significant reductions in food loss and waste, and making substantial improvements in food production practices is possible. Reaching this universal goal requires the participation of individuals and organizations across all sectors and scales through various actions. Therefore, it is of great importance for all sectors to adopt scientific targets.

The Importance of Child Nutrition and School Meal Programs

School age is a period in which physiological, psychological, and social development is rapid for children, lifelong behaviors are largely formed, and children are most suitable for acquiring knowledge and habits; however, it is also the most risky period in terms of the development of adult diseases. During this period, common nutrition-related problems in our country include deficiencies of vitamin D, calcium, and iodine, iron deficiency anemia, obesity, eating behavior disorders, and dental caries.

School Meal Programs are critical institutional practices in developing healthy nutrition models, as they meet nearly two-thirds of children’s daily calorie and nutrient requirements. Structuring, monitoring, and adapting these programs in line with scientific principles and according to school conditions are among the most effective approaches in child nutrition.

School Meal Programs are of critical importance in supporting children’s healthy growth and development, increasing academic success, and ensuring the acquisition of healthy eating habits in the long term. These programs play a strategic role not only in individual health but also in improving public health.

The benefits of School Meal Programs have been scientifically proven under the following headings.

Growth and Development:

Childhood is one of the periods when growth is fastest. During this period, energy and nutrient requirements are quite high. Unlike adult nutrition, it is essential that energy and nutrient needs are met adequately, timely, and in balanced amounts throughout the day. This is because the body’s synthesis cycles required for growth and development are very rapid. School meal programs help prevent developmental delays caused by deficiencies in critical nutrients such as iron, calcium, zinc, and vitamins A and C.

Academic Achievement

Studies investigating the effects of unhealthy nutrition on children’s academic performance have shown that it leads to attention deficits, learning difficulties, and behavioral problems, while students who are adequately and balancedly nourished have longer attention spans, improved cognitive functions, and better exam performance. For example, one study found that students who experienced classroom discipline problems also had statistically significant iron deficiency. This explains why children who have difficulty focusing on lessons due to iron deficiency may display behaviors other than listening during class.

Nutrition Knowledge and Healthy Behaviors

School meal programs also serve as educational tools for instilling healthy eating habits in children. Visual monitoring that begins with healthy menu presentations, the harmony and sequence of foods placed on the tray, later facilitates the internalization of behaviors such as vegetable and fruit consumption, preference for whole grains, and limiting sugary beverages; these behaviors can turn into lifelong habits. Awareness of plate waste and leftovers, and thus awareness against food waste, is also gained at school tables. In addition, the social benefits of sharing meals with teachers and peers can help reduce the sense of isolation caused by the increasing use of phones, tablets, and computers today.

Reducing the Risk of Diseases in Later Life

Unhealthy eating habits acquired at an early age lay the foundation for chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. School meal programs reduce the risk of these diseases by establishing correct nutrition models during childhood. They also contribute to strengthening the immune system and increasing resistance to infections.

Preventing health problems that would reduce individuals’ productivity in the future and lowering these risks makes “healthy nutrition in childhood” an invaluable window of opportunity.