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 deciding what foods are available to pack in their child's lunch. They are doing their best with the resources they have available, while considering their child’s preferences and needs. Being neutral and not commenting on what, whether, and how much students are eating can help them develop a positive relationship with food. If you have concerns about students not having enough to eat, reach out to their families and/or speak with your administrators.
Here is a list of common scenarios related to eating that you might encounter in your school. For each scenario, you can find:
- a response that you might be tempted to use (i.e., Instead of...)
- a more neutral response that we recommend (i.e., Consider...)
- a rationale for the recommended response (i.e., Here's why...)
- Giving them direction about which foods to eat.
“Eat your healthy food first and then you can have your ‘treat’ after.”
- Letting them decide how much and in what order they eat from what is available.
- Having non-food related conversations with students during mealtimes.
“When you’re done eating you can get ready to go outside.”
You could also choose to say nothing.
- When students are able to control the order they eat their food, it helps them develop a positive relationship with food and feel respected.
- Commenting on foods packed in students’ lunches could lead them to question the parent/caregiver’s decision-making.
Commenting on how much they are eating.
“Are you sure you want to eat your whole lunch now? Won’t you be hungry later?”
- Trusting students to know when they are hungry and when they are full. Let them eat what they want from their lunch in any order.
- Offering students to access the student nutrition program if they want more food.
“If you are hungry later today, don’t forget that you can always access food from the student nutrition program.”
You could choose to say nothing.
- It's okay if students are hungrier on some days compared to others. Appetites vary from day to day.
- Commenting on the foods a student brings in their lunch.
“You should not be eating white bread, it’s bad for you.”
- Not commenting on foods students bring from home and trust that families are doing their best.
- Being mindful that it is the parent/caregiver responsibility to decide what foods are available to pack.
- Having non-food related conversations with students during mealtimes.
“Are you looking forward to soccer practice later?”
“How was art class this morning?”
- 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.
- Congratulating them in front of the class for bringing vegetables.
“Good job bringing veggies to school!”
- Saving nutrition education for the curriculum lessons, not during mealtimes.
“Are you enjoying your snack?”
You could also choose to say nothing.
- Praising students for having certain foods places judgment on those foods. It may also cause others to feel shame if they don’t have the same foods.
- Students normally don’t have control over what is packed in their lunch.
- Children and youth primarily make food decisions based on taste, preference, and familiarity. Health is typically not one of them.
- Ignoring the comment.
- Intervening with a reminder to be respectful of other cultures.
- Teaching your students to be respectful of other cultures and to not comment on what others are eating unless it’s to ask a genuinely curious question or to say it looks delicious.
To the student who made the comment: “Please don’t make comments on your classmates’ lunches. They might include foods you’re not familiar with, but we need to respect and appreciate other cultures.”
To the student whose lunch was commented on: “That looks delicious! I’ve never tried that before; what does it taste like?”
- Encouraging students to respect diversity helps promote an inclusive classroom for all.
- Limiting access to the food 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.”
- Trusting students’ hunger and fullness cues.
- Encouraging universal access to the Student Nutrition Program in your school.
- If you have concerns about students not having enough to eat, reach out to their families and/or speak with your administrators.
“Please feel free to help yourself to the snack bin.”
- Students are hungry for a variety of reasons at school.
- Supporting universal access decreases stigma related to the program.
- Agreeing to the parent/caregiver request.
“Yes, I will encourage your child to eat their fruit first.”
- Reminding the parents that it is the student’s role to decide how much and in what order they eat from what is available.
“In my classroom we follow the roles and responsibilities related to food and eating. This means that I trust the child to decide how much and in what order to eat the food that has been packed for them.”
“The BrightBites.ca website has more information on these roles and responsibilities that I would be happy to share with you.”
- It is the school’s role to decide when and where students eat. It is not the school’s role to decide how much and in what order they eat.
- When students are able to control the order they eat their food, it helps them develop a positive relationship with food and feel respected.
- Commenting on foods packed in students’ lunches could lead them to question the parent/caregiver’s decision-making.
