Nourishing Children’s Success: How Nutrition is Vital to School Performance

Parents always want the best for their children. They want to see their children excel academically and participate in healthy physical activities such as sports. However, today’s children face many challenges throughout the school day learning 5 to 6 subjects and participating in extracurricular activities and sports.

While children start the day full of energy, their energy levels are depleted within hours due to the mental and physical demands of the school day. In a recent survey of 300 Pakistani women, conducted by Four Corners Group Private Limited, 73% said their children often complain of feeling tired after school holidays. This decrease in energy negatively affects their learning and participation in school activities.

Proper nutrition during the school break can help prevent this slump during the school day. School lunch is an opportunity for children’s nutrition and performance, says nutritionist Dr Ayesha Abbas. A balanced diet during this time lays the foundation for improved academic performance by maintaining children’s energy levels, enabling them to keep up with today’s demanding school environment.

Dr. Abbas encourages parents to give their children a balanced lunch box, which includes a mix of protein macronutrients, carbohydrates and healthy fats. Carbohydrates serve as the main source of energy for the body, aiding in mental focus. Protein keeps kids fuller for longer, stabilizes blood sugar and prevents energy crashes. Healthy fats are crucial for cognitive function, supporting memory, concentration and learning. The combination of all three macronutrients is essential for children to perform well in school. A chicken sandwich or kababs, fruits and vegetables such as apples, carrots or cucumbers, and a handful of nuts with milk can form the basis of a macro-rich lunchbox.

Decades of research have shown that milk is one of the most important foods children can consume during school break. Research conducted by the Vietnam Institute of Nutrition found that milk consumption had a positive impact on students’ memory and physical growth. Another research conducted by the South Korean Nutrition Society established the relationship between milk consumption at school and improved academic performance and motivation to learn. Milk is therefore given to students during school holidays through government programs in the US, UK, Europe, China and Turkey.

In today’s fast-paced world, I’m always looking for convenient and nutritious options to give my nine-year-old son his school lunch, says one mother, Mariya.

Although parents may struggle to ensure milk consumption during school, one of the easiest solutions is to add flavored milk to their children’s lunch boxes. 96% of respondents believed that flavored milk is the ideal drink for their children’s school lunch box. Olpers Flavored Milk offers a convenient way to improve the nutrition of your children’s lunch box. It includes all the goodness of milk with added vitamins and calcium, in flavors that kids love.

Packing a lunchbox with a selection of nutritious snacks and Olpers flavored milk ensures that children receive a balanced intake of essential nutrients in a form they enjoy. Parents can ensure their children improve their performance in school and after school by providing essential nutrition when they need it most. When a child’s day-to-day challenges are eased through the right nutritional habits, lifelong success is guaranteed.

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