Parents Talk to Your Teens About School Playground Food Culture

As parents there are so many things to wrangle and consider when it comes to your teens. From schoolwork, to sport, friends, social media, sleep, hydration, family catch ups, relationships etc, it’s overwhelming for a parent. An area that’s often forgotten amongst the madness, is food and nutrition. 

In my nutrition clinic, i’ve been seeing an alarming food trend developing in the playground of certain schools. In at least three high schools (two private and one public) teens have reported to me that there is a food culture of “not eating in front of friends”. In another school, the teens “all stand up at lunch time to eat” which makes it very difficult, and the girls in particular just give up and don’t eat. 

Both of these cultures translate into very few calories being consumed during school hours. This is alarming considering research shows that ideally 32-37% of a teen’s total daily energy intake should occur during school hours (Bell, AC. & Swinburn, BA. 2004) including morning tea, lunch and sometimes breakfast or afternoon tea, depending on activities. 

That means teens could potentially be missing out on 1/3 of their daily energy requirements which can lead to fatigue and inability to concentrate and learn. Other ramifications are potential nutritional deficiencies particularly in protein, calcium and iron and blood glucose fluctuations which research shows is linked to stress, anxiety and depression in teens (Jacka FN et al. 2010, Bellisle, F. 2004). In my clinic, I try to discuss with my teen clients that this is a culture that is not healthy and that is it normal, and it’s actually a good idea to eat at school. 

It is important to ask the question about food culture at school – especially in the later years 10-12. The power of peer influence is very strong and the only way you can attempt to counter a negative influence is by asking, listening and guiding. Seek help if you are concerned either via school, the Butterfly foundation or your GP. If you’re looking for additional support, please connect with me too.