Summary of the nutrition guidelines

Nutrition Guidelines for Breakfast

Breakfast is the first meal of the day; hence special attention must be given to ensure a balanced meal is provided. A minimum of TWO items should be provided, that is one serving of staples and one serving of protein. Vegetables and fruit must be included as part of the breakfast routine. They may be eaten as part of the breakfast or separately before breakfast or at break time. Breakfast menus should be based on the nutrient-based standards outlined in the guidelines with the goal of meeting 30% of the nutritional requirements of children and adolescents. Children and adolescents who do not eat breakfast at home may be tempted to eat high-fat, high-sugar snack foods on their way to school or later in the day. Anecdotal evidence from individual schools supports a link between children who have breakfast and improvements in attendance, concentration and achievement.

Staples (whole-meal or wholegrain cereals and breads or any of the starchy foods) 

Every breakfast should contain ONE serving from this group. 

• Bread should be whole-meal or wholegrain or a 50:50 mix of whole-meal and white. 
• Breakfast cereals should be low in sugar and fat, and preferably high in fibre or wholegrain; for example, porridge or shredded or wheat biscuits. 
  • N.B. Breakfast cereal bars cannot be used as a substitute for a bowl of cereal. 
• These starchy foods are inexpensive and provide energy, fibre, vitamins and minerals. 
• Items such as hash with provisions or soups can also be eaten at breakfast.

One serving is:  

• ½ cup porridge (plantain, oats, cornmeal, etc.)
• 1 cup of cooked provisions mashed or chopped finely
• 2 thin slices of whole-meal bread
• 6 whole wheat crackers
• ¼ roast bake made with ½ white and ½ whole wheat flour
• 1 cup of flaked-type breakfast cereal – bran, crisped rice, toasted flakes of corn

Fruits and vegetables  

• Every breakfast should contain ONE serving of fruit
• Offer a variety of fresh local fruits
• Fruit provides vitamins, minerals and fibre
• It is recommended to eat 5-7 servings of vegetables, salad and fruit per day
• Cutting up fruit and vegetables into smaller pieces can make it easier to eat for younger children
• Whole fruits such as bananas and oranges are a better choice than fruit juices as they are higher in fibre

One serving is: 

• 2 small fruits such as mandarins
• 1 medium orange, banana, guava mango or tangerine 
• 6 medium plums (yellow or red mobin)
• ¾ cup coconut water
• ½ cup unsweetened fruit juice (orange/grapefruit), limiting fruit juice to once a day

Food from animals or other protein foods (milk, yoghurt, cheese and eggs, beans and nuts)  

• Every breakfast should contain ONE serving from this group.  
• Milk, yoghurt and cheese are good sources of several nutrients, including protein, vitamins and most importantly calcium, which is important for healthy bone development. 
  • NB: Butter, cream and ice cream are not included in this group; butter and cream are classed as a high-fat food and ice cream is classed as a confectionery item. 
• Vegetarians can use plant-based milk for their cereals and porridge or use legumes and nuts as their protein source. 

One serving is:  

• ½ cup milk
• 1 small yoghurt/1 bottle (200 ml) yoghurt drink (low sugar option)  
• 1 ounce cheddar cheese
• 1 medium egg  
• 1 cup of peas or beans 
• 1 ounce of nuts 
• 1-ounce slice cakes made with staple or bean flour with ripe bananas as the sweetener 

Ideas for breakfast  

• Milk and nut milk in cereal and porridge.
• Yoghurts are simple to serve. Ultra-heat-treated (UHT) yoghurts do not need refrigeration. Yoghurt can also be mixed with chopped fruit or cereal.  
• Breakfast cereals: choose high-fibre, low-sodium, low-sugar varieties more often, such as muesli or oat flakes (read nutrition facts labels for information).  
• Porridge or harsh made with plantain, bananas, breadfruit, tannia or other local staples.  They can cook and be used as a substitute for bread.
• Breads: choose whole wheat or multi-grain bread or buns, whole wheat pita pockets, flavoured tortilla wraps or roti skins. Choose breads which are lower in sodium where available.  
• Crackers: choose whole wheat or multi-grain varieties. Choose those lower in sodium.  
• Fillings for bread and crackers include tuna or sardine (drained), egg (boiled, scrambled, poached, omelette), low-fat cheese, hamburgers, veggie burgers, lentil patties, baked beans, bean spreads (like hummus) or peanut butter.  
• Fresh, canned or dried fruit should be included at breakfast. 4-8 ounces of 100% fruit juice can be used as an alternative if fruit is not available. Fruit can be added to cereal and yoghurt.  
• Fresh, frozen or canned vegetables such as lettuce, cucumber, sweet peppers, spinach, carrots and tomatoes may be added to sandwiches or chopped and added to scrambled eggs or omelette. 

Nutrition guidelines for snacks

Every snack should contain:  

• 1 serving of vegetables or fruit (offer a variety of fruits and or vegetables) 
• 1 serving of a protein source  
  

Healthy examples of snacks include: 

• 1 ripe banana 
• 1 small mango or 1 cup diced mango 
• 2 wax apples/mandarins  
• Yoghurt/cheese sticks 
• Carrot sticks/sliced cucumbers 
• Vegetable/fruit salad  
• Nuts and nut butter (cashew, peanut, almond etc.)  
• Bean loaf 
• Boiled eggs 

Nutritious snacks ideas  

• Sandwiches made with whole wheat or multi-grain bread or buns, whole wheat pita pockets, flavoured tortilla wraps or roti skins.  
• Whole wheat or multi-grain crackers with low-fat cheese or peanut butter.  
• Whole grain cereals e.g. muesli and oat flakes.  
• Plain popcorn or baked chips.  
• Unsalted nuts or trail mix (in moderate amounts).  
• Yoghurt (ultra-heat treated or UHT yoghurts do not need refrigeration), smoothies made with milk, yoghurt, low-sugar flavoured milk or calcium-enriched soy beverages (less than 10% added sugar), or other plant-based milk.  
• Fruit: fresh or canned (in juice or water), snack-size apple sauce.  
• A handful of cherry tomatoes or vegetable sticks (carrot, sweet pepper, cucumber, broccoli florets) with a dip like hummus or salsa.
• Home-baked oatmeal or bran muffins, oatmeal cookies, whole wheat coconut or banana bread, cassava pone or fruit cake. Sugar and fat should be reduced in recipes (equal quantities of fruit purées like apple sauce or mashed banana can be substituted for sweeteners in recipes, while bean or other staple flours can replace white flour).

Read labels when buying snacks and choose items that contain 100-150 calories (or less) and 10% (or less) saturated fat and sodium per serving. Always check the serving size stated on the package since the container may have more than one serving.  

Nutrition guidelines for lunch

Lunch may be the only meal that a child may eat for the day hence it is imperative that the meal is balanced and has all the foundational food groups. For meal planning, cooks should follow the Multi-Mix Principle which consists of choosing foods from the four major food groups to meet the daily requirements.

Fats and oils are excluded because they are usually added or included under the other food groups. Fruits are usually eaten raw and are not included in the mix, but it is recommended that fruit should be eaten every day based on availability and seasonality. Depending on food availability and resources, school cooks can use the Double-mix (most economical meal plan) or the Triple mix combination. They also can use a sample menu developed by the school welfare coordinator from the Ministry of Education jointly with the chief nutritionist from the Ministry of Health, adapting it to their own contexts and food items available.

Double-mix combinations

• Staples/cereal and legumes e.g. rice and peas, toast and baked beans.
• Cereal and food from animals e.g. macaroni and cheese, rice and baked fish casserole.
• Staples/provision and food from animals e.g. mackerel or saltfish and green bananas.

Triple mix combinations

• Staples-cereal, legumes and vegetables e.g. green bananas and peas with glazed carrots.
• Staples-provision, food from animals and vegetables e.g. provisions with salt fish and callaloo.
• Staple, food from animals and legumes e.g. rice with stew beef and peas.
• Cereal, legumes, food from animals and vegetables e.g. rice with green peas, chicken and carrots, or boiled dumplings with stewed beef, beans and carrots.
• Ground provision + legume + food from animals + vegetables, e.g. boiled yam with stewed beans, oxtail and pumpkin

Number of servings

Children from 4 to 6 years are served ½ of an adult serving of food from animals, while adolescents have the same servings as adults.  The number of servings increases based on the level of activity, for example, if they are athletes. 

Lunch ideas 

• Meat should be preferably baked, grilled or stewed and mixed with ingredients such as bouillon. The use of salted fish pork and salt beef should be limited; bacon and sausages should be avoided as much as possible. The visible part of fat on meat should be removed as much as possible and should only be served twice a week. Serve boneless fish grilled, baked, steamed or broth at least once a week. 

   

• Staples can be boiled and made into pies. Mixed dishes such as bouillon and salads can be prepared. Fries can be prepared but they must be baked.

   

• Legumes and nuts include pigeon peas, lentils, soybeans and kidney beans; they can be served as stew, soup, loaf, patties or hummus, and can be added to other mixed foods such as pelau, burritos, salads and bouillon. They make a good substitution for food from animals for vegetarians. Nuts can be served on salads and in other dishes such as satay chicken.

   

• Dark green leafy and yellow vegetables must be part of meals every day. They are usually part of every meal in one way or the other. Callaloo, salads and soups are some of the dishes that are made from this food group. 

   

• Fats and oils: use fats and oil sparingly. Use healthy fats and oils such as coconut oil and olive oil to sauté vegetables lightly. Fats are also found in meats, nuts and other plants.   

Sweets, sugars and salt 

Sugars should be limited; cakes, cookies and pastry should not have any sticky sweet filling, frosting or icing sugar. Choose low-sugar desserts. Salt can be added but in limited quantities.