The children go back to school: how does the diet change?

The time is almost right: for some of our children the time is coming to face the first day of school! Some are already excited, others frightened, as well as their parents. But for everyone there is a crucial question: how will their diet change?

Summer eating habits and returning to school: what changes?

Most children and adolescents who go to school see summer as a time of fun, relaxation and loosening of rules and commitments. What memories, what good times for everyone!

Even when it comes to food, summer usually breaks the routine of our children. During the school year, children have their days marked by the timetables of lessons, snacks and meals, but also by various extracurricular commitments, such as sport, music and more.

In summer all these rhythms and commitments change, and with them the way of eating also changes. Due to the heat, the holidays, the lack of regularity and the many free hours, the risk is to leave our students at the mercy of anarchy and unruliness. 

There are those who eat much less, too little, forgetting to introduce the necessary nutrients, and there are those who are always cheating, with ice cream, sweets, fast food and unbalanced rhythms. The school will soon bring everything back to normal!

We know well that for many children and young people a healthy and balanced nutrition can be difficult to keep and can be seen as boring, and that is why we adults must guide them and let them discover how healthy eating is good for health, body and mind and is essential for growth.

What should children eat before they go to school?

The first meal of the day is fundamental: our organism needs a lot of nutrients to face all the challenges of the first hours after waking up. For those who go to school, these challenges are intellectual, but also physical. In order to be concentrated, active but at the same time calm, and to get to the snack without hunger, the breakfast of the little ones must be:

• Refined sugars free: they cause glycemic peaks that are dangerous for health and behaviour. They can generate anxiety and decreased concentration. Sugars yes, but healthy!
• Caffeine free: some children drink coffee too early, but the majority rely on cocoa and chocolate preparations. Often filled with refined sugars and saturated fats, they are also great sources of caffeine, a substance that causes addiction and does not help growth.
• Gluten-free: difficult for many to digest, it can cause drowsiness, fatigue and anxiety.
• Vegan: Starting the day with a meal free of animal proteins does not weigh down digestion and gives energy.
• Rich in vitamins, minerals and fibres for a feeling of satiety and to support all the functions of the body.

All our breakfast products are refined sugars free (some are without added sugars), caffeine free (or with a very low content due to raw cocoa ingredients), gluten free, vegan and super nutritious. Not only that: they are also instantaneous and can be prepared in a few minutes with the addition of a vegetable drink, yogurt or water.

Our Buddha’s Awakening, such as the Super Oats range and the Little Buddhas, are perfect for schoolchildren's breakfast, because they are easy to digest, energetic and full of energy for a long time. And for a snack?

Back to school: what to give for a snack

The snack at school is almost always a meal that parents can handle directly, unlike the lunch that is often done in the canteen. What should we give our children? 

We at Iswari strongly recommend seasonal fruits and vegetables, perhaps accompanied by one of our practical Buddha’s Awakening Energy Bars, based on dates, gluten-free cereals, seeds, dried fruits and delicious superfoods, such as raw cocoa, acai and maca.

Happy return to school to all students, young and old!