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Hungry for Success

Annex D Practical Guidance for Schools and Caterers

Eating for Health

1. Eating for Health was developed as a model for healthy eating in Scotland by the Health Education Board for Scotland in 1996. It is nationally recognised and widely used by the food and catering industries as well as by health professionals, teachers and individual consumers, as a guide to the contents of a balanced meal or diet. In England the equivalent model, the Balance of Good Health, was developed in 1994 by the Health Local authority, Department of Health and Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

2. Eating for Health shows the proportion of the overall diet that should come from each of the five food groups in order to provide enough of the important nutrients (such as vitamins, minerals and protein) and fibre without too much fat (especially saturates) and sugar. The five food groups are:

• bread, other cereals and potatoes
• fruit and vegetables
• milk and dairy foods
• meat, fish and alternatives
• foods high in fat, foods and drinks high in sugar.

3. Foods in each group provide a similar range of nutrients. For most people:

• a third of total food intake should be made up of starchy foods (e.g. bread, pasta, rice and potatoes). These foods should make up a main part of a meal
• a further third should be made up from fruit and vegetables. People should aim to eat at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables each day
• meat, fish and alternatives (e.g. eggs, nuts, pulses, soya products) and milk and dairy foods provide concentrated sources of essential nutrients. So, only moderate amounts need to be eaten
• foods containing a large amount of fat or sugar should make up a relatively small proportion of the total food and drink consumed.

4. The model applies to catering for most people over the age of 5 years, including those who are overweight, vegetarians and people of all ethnic groups. Children under 5 years of age need to learn to eat healthily, but too much emphasis on cutting down fat intake and increasing the amount of fibre eaten is inappropriate for this age group - it can result in a bulky diet and children may not be able to eat sufficient amounts of food to meet their energy and nutrient needs. By around 5 years of age children should be progressing towards a diet based on the principles of Eating for Health.

5. Recent research indicates that currently children in Britain are eating less than half the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables each day, too many foods high in saturates, sugar and salt, too few foods containing fibre and are not doing enough physical activity (National Diet and Nutrition Survey: young people aged 4-18 years (2000)).

What Does This Mean for Caterers?

6. Eating for Health is a useful tool for caterers in menu planning as it shows the overall balance that should be aimed for in the lunches served. Dishes or meals usually contain foods from more than one of the five food groups. Eating for Health can be applied by identifying the main food items or ingredients in the composite dish or meal and thinking about how these fit in with the proportions suggested and by altering the proportions, e.g. serving slightly smaller portions of the main dishes with extra fruit, vegetables or bread. Whatever the type of catering provided, the principles of balance and variety apply.

7. Healthier catering for children means:

• offering child-size portions of a variety of meals, not just a range of fried favourites
• offering foods from the food groups
• • fruit and vegetables
  • meat, fish and alternatives
  • bread, cereals and potatoes
  • milk and dairy foods
• limiting fat-rich foods such as sausages, burgers, pies, crisps, chips or other fried food
• for young children, offering small fruits and yoghurts which are usually popular
• not offering too many sugar rich foods and drinks
• offering milk, unsweetened fruit juice and water
• limiting the amount of salt added to foods.

Choosing Healthier Ingredients

8. The choice of commodities can have a significant effect on the nutritional content and the balance of meals and foodstuffs. Many suppliers have responded to the increasing demand for healthier ingredients, which are now easier to find. Pre-prepared products are available that can be cooked by one of three methods - oven bake, grill, shallow/deep fry. Labels should be checked on pre-prepared dishes to look for lower fat and salt varieties.

Reducing the Fat Content

9. Whilst the choice of ingredients is very important, several cooking methods and preparation techniques can be used to reduce the fat content of dishes.

10. Easy ways to cut down on fat in food preparation include:

• trimming visible fat from meat
• removing the skin and fat from poultry before cooking or serving (except for roasts)
• preparing lower fat vinaigrette dressings.

11. "Healthier" cooking practices to reduce fat include:

• routinely grilling, steaming, stir-frying or oven baking rather than frying or roasting with
  added fat
• using spray oils
• dry frying or dry roasting spices
• skimming fat from the surfaces of liquids, including gravy, before serving
• sweating onions in cling film (microwaveable) in a microwave instead of sautéing them in oil
• avoid letting food sit in fat when roasting or oven cooking by roasting on a rack or trivet and grilling on a rack rather than a flat oven tray
• creating soups and sauces from puréed vegetables or reductions instead of roux thickenings
• not enriching with butter
• using a thin batter for fish or oven baking pre-coated products
• using a whisked sponge method or mix for puddings instead of the creamed method
• not tossing items (e.g. pasta) in butter but use a small amount of oil to prevent bulk quantities from sticking.

12. In summary, the key to healthier catering is to:

• make small but significant changes to best selling items
• increase the amount of starchy foods
• increase the amount of fruit and vegetables
• increase the fibre content of dishes where practical and acceptable
• reduce fat in traditional recipes
• change the type of fat used
• select healthier ways to prepare dishes
• be moderate in the use of sugar and salt.

13. Key actions to achieve these goals are to:

• make starchy foods (e.g. rice, pasta, bread, potatoes) a main part of most meals
• offer a good selection of fruit and incorporate it into dishes, where practical and acceptable
• offer fibre-rich varieties of bread and cereals
• include plenty of pulses and vegetables in dishes
• use lower fat cooking methods and ingredients
• reduce the amount and alter the types of fat used in food preparation
• use fewer fats that contain a high proportion of saturates by substituting these with fats and oils with a high content of unsaturates, where possible
• use salt and salty foods in moderation
• use added sugar in moderation.

(Adapted from Catering for Health produced by the Food Standards Agency Scotland and the Scottish Executive Health Department.)

Recommended Portion Sizes

14. This section provides guidance on the appropriate portion sizes necessary to assist caterers in planning meals, which meet nutrient standards for energy and other nutrients as well as to satisfy young appetites. Hungry children are more likely to snack on high fat and sugar confectionery.

Note: Composite dishes using the caterer's own recipes, such as home-made pies, pasta bakes, lasagne, spaghetti bolognese, stew, should supply the equivalent amount of meat, poultry, fish or vegetarian alternative per portion.
The initials TVP refer to the meat substitute, texturised vegetable protein.

Sources of Calcium, Folate and Iron

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