School meals are just as healthy as food at home

Children who eat school meals are just as healthy, if not healthier, than those who take packed lunches, doctors said on Thursday.

Despite concerns over the quality of food being served at schools, a study revealed that pupils eating school dinners had lower levels of blood cholesterol, blood sugar and insulin, than those eating food brought from home.

The result, published online by the British Medical Journal, comes days after the government published rules to boost nutritional content of school meals following protests against the amount of junk food served to pupils.

Professor Peter Whincup, from St Georgeีs Hospital, University of London, said improvements also had to be made in the nutrition in food eaten by children in packed lunches and outside school.

'A lot of the content of lunch boxes reflects convenience rather than nutrition, with crisps and chocolate bars and canned drinks,' said Whincup, lead author of the study.

าWhat I stress is the need to take a broader view of the nutrition of young people, rather than just focusing on the content of school meals.ำ The research was based on 1,100 secondary school pupils in 72 schools between 1998 and 2000. The study found that those eating school food also had lower levels of leptin, which is important in regulating body fat.

The only deficiency the study identified among school-meal eaters was the level of folate, a B vitamin found in green leafy vegetables. าThat clearly does support the drive for more fresh food in school meals - particularly fresh fruit and vegetables, which are likely to raise folate levels,ำ said Whincup. าAnd from what other people are saying, that may also have beneficial effects on behaviour as well.ำ