Balancing wholesome meals in children’s daily routines is key to promoting their physical and mental health. A nutritious diet fuels their academic success, enabling them to focus and excel in the classroom. It’s also crucial for their growth, immune system strength, and preventing chronic illnesses.
On Wednesday, 17 July 2024, the Peninsula School Feeding Association (PSFA) menu was launched at the Cape Town Hotel School Restaurant in Granger Bay.
Celebrity chef Zola Nene, who was in charge of cooking for the event, prepared a variety of dishes including pilchard fish cakes served with apple and cabbage slaw, imifino pasta, rice with chicken soya bowls, sugar bean curry with uphuthu, and ushatini.
Love at first bite!
She told Health For Mzansi that the nutritionists and dietitians took care of the numbers game when creating menus for the kids.
“I am just here to add pizzazz to the ingredients. I do not add anything that’s not allowed – just basic fruits, vegetables, and everything with nutrition in mind.”
She added, “Things don’t have to be unhealthy to be flavourful, and I think that’s the point we made today. Some dishes are nostalgic – uphuthu is something I grew up eating, and sugar bean curry is something I also grew up eating.”
“Sometimes you have to cook in a different way, taking the basic ingredients and making them a little more special.”
Chef Zola Nene
The key to ensuring you get a variety of nutrients is incorporating different colours, which gives you nutrient-dense foods on your plate, Nene said.
She noted that cooking with as many colours as possible is beneficial, as each colour provides unique nutrients needed by your body. “The more colour you can add to your plate, the more beneficial it is for kids. The more variety, the more inviting – eat the rainbow!”
READ NEXT: Fighting malnutrition: Good food fuels young minds and bodies
Fighting hunger for over six decades
Charles Grey, the fundraising manager for PSFA, said that for the past 66 years, the non-profit organisation has been addressing hunger in young learners attending primary schools, secondary and special needs schools, as well as orphaned and vulnerable children in centres and early childhood centres, and technical and vocational education and training colleges in the Western Cape.
“PSFA has to date served over two billion nutritious meals to underprivileged school children, thus promoting a sound grounding for education, which is the key to everyone’s future,” he said.
Meanwhile, Petrina Pakoe, the director at PSFA, added that it is not the first time they have created a menu for school children. The initial cooked menu was also drafted by the PSFA team with the help of nutritionists.
“Presently we have 27 601 learners from 187 learning institutions within the Western Cape who will benefit from this programme,” she said.
Pakoe added that parents and guardians need to be encouraged to further support their children’s development by ensuring they eat fresh fruit and vegetables as a part of their daily meals. They should also eat a balanced meal regularly and portion sizes should be appropriate for their age.
Creating the menu
Helen Donkin, a registered dietitian based in Hilton, KwaZulu-Natal, explained that they made sure to include a variety of foods on the menu as that’s the best way to ensure a whole range of dietary needs are met.
“Of course, we had to consider what is available at affordable prices from our trusted suppliers, and that the foods are robust enough to stay fresh during the transport and delivery process.”
Helen Donkin
She added, “We included the learner’s favourite meals like samp and beans and pilchards with noodles or pasta.”
Looking at these selected condiments, Donkin noted, “Chicken livers are high in vitamin A and vitamin A is the real hero – a tiny nutrient with a big impact. It is so important to children that, on the recommendation of the WHO (World Health Organization), our NDOH (national department of health) supplements children every six months from age six months to five years.
“Once they get to school, PSFA ensures they are getting adequate intakes of vitamin A. These meals also provide essential nutrients like fibre for gut health, protein for growth and development, fish oils for brain development, cognition and visual acuity, iron for brain development and synthesis of neurotransmitters, folate for blood health, and carbohydrates for energy,” Donkin explained.
ALSO READ: Kids and nutrition: Avoid the unhealthy takeaway route
Get the Health For Mzansi newsletter: Your bi-weekly dose of kasi health, wellness and self-care inspiration.
