3 Tips For Serving Food In Your School Cafeteria
At your school, students probably eat lunch on campus. They might even eat breakfast there, too. Providing the right foods for students can be a challenge, but it's a challenge that you should focus on mastering. These tips will help with serving great food to the kids who rely on your school to provide them with lunch.
1. Make Sure You're Serving Balanced Meals
It's important to make sure that the students who you are serving at school are served healthy, balanced meals. Not all kids get the best of nutrition at home, but if they're able to eat a healthy, nutritious meal while they're at school, this can help them get some of the nutrients that they need. Plus, students who eat healthy meals at school might be more alert when they're in class and may be better able to focus on learning. If you work with a contract food service that regularly works with schools, then you should have some healthy options available to you. Consulting national guidelines and working with a nutritionist who has experience in working with children can also help you plan foods and meals that will be healthy for the students at your school.
2. Choose Foods That are Interesting
You probably wouldn't want to eat bland and boring food every day, and your students probably don't want to either. To encourage kids to try new things and to enjoy their food, offer interesting options. Colorful fruits and vegetables are visually appealing, and they can be served with healthy dips to give them flavor and encourage kids to eat them. Serving twists on old favorites, such as offering wraps instead of regular sandwiches, is another great way to make food a little more exciting.
3. Offer Choices
Just because your students are kids doesn't mean that they don't have their own preferences for food. Kids should have some choices when it comes to the foods that they want to eat, so it's good to offer choices. This helps kids feel like they are a part of the decision making process for themselves, and it also helps you ensure that they will actually eat what is on their lunch tray. Of course, this doesn't mean that you should let them pick whatever they want. However, letting them choose their favorite between two healthy vegetables instead of just dishing up the same vegetables for all of the students is a good thing.
For more information about your options, contact local contract food services.
