Practical Guide: Lunchtime Food Allies
This practical guide can help adults navigate situations related to eating at school in a positive, supportive way.
It is important to respect that parents/guardians are responsible for packing food for their child. They are doing their best with the resources they have available, while considering their child’s preferences and needs.
| Parents & Caregivers decide what foods are available to pack. | School decides when and where students eat. | Student decides what and how much to eat from what’s available. |
All foods have value and help a student learn at school. Being neutral and not commenting on what, whether, and how much students are eating can help them develop a good relationship with food.
Educators can support a school’s eating environment by:
- ensuring regular meal and snack breaks
- advocating for enough time and a suitable space for students to eat
- minimizing distractions
- allowing students to socialize with peers
- supporting your school’s Student Nutrition Program (if applicable)
| If… | Instead of… | Think About… |
| a student eats their cookie before their sandwich | giving them direction about which foods to eat. “Eat your healthy food first and then you can have your ‘treat’ after.” | Respect students’ decisions. It’s the student’s role to decide how much and if they eat the food that has been provided for them. Determining what gets packed in student lunches is an adult/parent/guardian role. There is no evidence to show that the order that you eat food impacts health or student behaviours. |
| a student has a carrot and celery sticks for snack | congratulating them in front of the class for bringing healthy food. “Good job bringing veggies to school!” | Not commenting at all. Students normally don’t have control over what is packed in their lunch |
| a student brings pop or juice to school to drink | Telling the student to put their beverage away and to drink it at home because it is bad for them. “You know you shouldn’t be drinking that kind of stuff, right? You can have this back at the end of the day.” | Not commenting at all. Trust that families are doing their best. Determining what gets packed in student lunches is an adult/parent/guardian role. |
| a student is not eating because they are busy talking with friends | Encouraging them to eat by saying “you need to eat vegetables and fruit because they are good for you” or “drinking milk makes your bones and teeth strong” | Saving nutrition education for the curriculum lessons, not during mealtimes. Children and youth make food decisions based on taste, preference, and familiarity. Health is not one of them. Learning about the health benefits of eating certain foods is not likely to impact food decisions. This is only one meal in their day and we don’t know what they’re eating outside of school. |
| a student is eating their whole lunch in the first break | Commenting on how much they are eating. “Are you sure you want to eat your whole lunch now? Won’t you be hungry later?” | Not commenting at all. Trust students to know when they are hungry and when they are full. Let them eat what they want from their lunch in any order. If you have concerns about students not having enough to eat, reach out to their families and/or speak with your administrators. Encourage universal access to the Student Nutrition Program in your school. |
| a student has a sandwich on white bread in their lunch | Commenting on the foods a student brought in their lunch. “You should not be eating white bread, it’s bad for you” | Not commenting at all. Trust that families are doing their best. Determining what gets packed in student lunches is an adult/parent/guardian role. Many factors influence the foods students eat including access to food, taste, texture, preferences, allergies, and culture. Students normally don’t have control over what is packed in their lunch. Hearing comments can make students feel bad and undermine trust in their parents/guardians. |
| a student asks if they can access the snack bin (student nutrition program) | Limiting access to the program. “You can have another fruit, but not another muffin” “Are you sure you’re still hungry?” “Eat the rest of your lunch before you come back for a snack” | Offer the student nutrition program universally. Students are hungry for a variety of reasons at school. Trust students’ hunger and fullness cues. |
