Healthier canteen project

The Healthy Meals in Schools Programme encourages healthier food and

beverage choices in schools. We achieve this through an integrated programme
involving teachers, canteen vendors and students. We also work together with
the Ministry of Education to actively encourage participation. This programme
aims to help students cultivate healthy eating habits right from their youth.
Programme criteria
Under this programme, canteen vendors need to follow food service guidelines.
These include:
Cutting down fat, sugar and salt
Serving whole grains, fruit and vegetables
Serving healthy set meals
These meals incorporate food from the four main food groups brown rice,
wholemeal bread, meat and others, vegetable and fruit. These help students
receive the appropriate nutrients necessary for their growing needs.

You can take a look at the detailed criteria for this programme or at the list of
FAQs for more information.
Our assigned nutritionists and dietitians will also assess participating schools and
a report will be provided to guide canteen vendors to meet the programmes
guidelines.
Support for schools
We support participating schools through the following ways:
Organising culinary training for canteen vendors. This equips vendors with the
knowledge of healthy nutrition and culinary skills to prepare healthier meals
using healthier ingredients.
Guiding the School Canteen Committee in monitoring the food and beverages
sold.
Providing educational resources to encourage healthier eating among students.
For reference, we have also compiled:
A toolkit for more information
A list of suppliers that provide healthier ingredients
A beverage catalogue allowed for sale in schools
Source: https://www.hpb.gov.sg/schools/school-programmes/healthy-meals-in-
schools-programme

Nutritional guidelines for healthy eating

Dietary guidelines are crucial in helping people to adopt healthier food consumption habits. In
Singapore, the dietary guidelines were first developed in 1990, and revised in 1993. A new set was
then released in 2003, which reflected a shift from nutrient-based to food-based recommendations.
This was in line with the increasing recognition that food provides not only nutrients, but also other
non-nutrient compounds (e.g. phytochemicals such as lycopene, isoflavones, lutein) which appear to
be protective against chronic diseases.

The 2003 dietary guidelines are currently being revised. The evidence reviewed will be graded
according to the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) system of grading evidence,
which is also used by the Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) working groups in Singapore.

The 8 Dietary Guidelines for Adult Singaporeans (18 to 69 years) are as follows:

Enjoy a variety of food using some healthy guidelines

People who have a varied diet, i.e. those who eat from all four food groups and have different types of
food from each food group, are more likely to meet their nutrient requirements. The food items chosen
should be low in fat, especially saturated fat - and low in salt and added sugar. Read the guidelines
on building a Healthy Food Foundation.

An area of focus under these guidelines is on calcium intake. Calcium is vital for maintaining bone
health and reducing the risk of osteoporosis. For adolescents and adults up to the age of 30 years, an
adequate intake of calcium is one of several factors that have been associated with maximal
accumulation of bone mass. Individuals attain their peak (maximal) bone mass before the age of 30
years, after which bone mass gradually declines; though continued consumption of calcium-rich foods
can help prevent bone loss.

Milk and dairy products are the best sources of calcium. Other good sources include dark green leafy
vegetables (e.g. kai lan, chye sim), fish with edible bones, calcium-fortified products (e.g. calcium-
fortified soybean milk and cereals) and tofu (which is set with calcium).

Achieve and maintain body weight within the normal range

Body weight maintenance is achieved by balancing energy intake (e.g. in the form of calories from
food) and energy output (e.g. physical activity). When more energy is consumed than expended,
weight gain occurs. If a person consistently consumes more energy than they expend over a period of
time, they are at risk of being overweight or obese.

A person's Body Mass Index (BMI) can be used to assess their risk of developing chronic diseases.
BMI uses the height and weight of an individual to estimate his or her total body fat. Singaporeans
have been found to be at risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes at BMI values of 23
kg/m2 and above.

Eat sufficient amounts of grain, especially whole grain

At least one serving of rice and alternatives should come from wholegrain food as they contain both
bran (which is high in B-vitamins) and germ (which is rich in Vitamin E and phytochemicals). Refined
grains only contain the endosperm (the bran and germ is removed during the milling process) and do
not contain as many nutrients or as much fibre compared to wholegrain foods. Examples of
wholegrain food include oats, brown rice and wholemeal/whole wheat versions of noodles, bread and
breakfast cereals.
People who have a diet rich in whole grains have a lower risk of cardiovascular diseases and Type 2
Diabetes. There is also evidence to suggest that those whose diets are rich in whole grains have a
reduced risk of colorectal and oesophageal cancers. Including whole grain foods in your diet may
assist in weight loss too, although more studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Eat more fruit and vegetables every day

Individuals should aim to eat at least 2 servings of fruit and 2 servings of vegetables every day.

For vegetables, this includes all vegetables fresh, frozen and well-drained canned vegetables, except
tubers (e.g. potatoes, yam) and legumes (e.g. beans, lentils). Tubers belong to the Rice & Alternatives
food group due to its high starch content, and legumes belong to the Meat & Alternatives food group
as they are good sources of protein. For fruit, this includes fresh, frozen, well-drained canned or dried
fruit or pure (100%) fruit juice with no added sugar.

A diet rich in fruit and vegetables is associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease
and stroke. Fruit and vegetables may also protect against cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx,
esophagus, stomach and lung (fruit only). In addition, fruit and vegetables may be a useful component
of programmes designed to achieve and sustain weight loss.

Choose and prepare food with less fat, especially saturated fat

Fat is needed for certain metabolic functions in the body. However, it is also a concentrated source of
energy and a diet high in fat can provide excess calories, increasing the risk of being overweight and
obesity.

Total fat should be limited to 25-30% of total calorie intake, of which less than 10% is from saturated
fat. The balance should come from mono- and polyunsaturated fats. Sources of saturated fat include
fatty cuts of meat, high-fat dairy products and also food prepared with palm-based vegetable oil. A
high intake of saturated fat is linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.

In addition, there is limited, but suggestive evidence that total fat intake is associated with cancer of
the lung and the breast (postmenopausal women only).

Choose and prepare food with less salt and sauces

Salt is one of the main sources of sodium in the diet. The average intake of salt of an average adult in
Singapore is 9g per day, which is more than the recommended 5g per day. Studies continue to show
that blood pressure can be lowered when intake of salt is reduced to less than 5g per day.

Other sources of sodium include sauces, monosodium glutamate (MSG), preservatives and salt
substitutes. There is good evidence to show that the reduction of sodium intake from salt and other
sources helps to lower blood pressure in both healthy individuals and individuals with high blood
pressure.

An excessive consumption of salt-preserved, cured or smoked food has also been associated with
higher risk of stomach and nasopharyngeal cancers. The higher risk is attributed to salt and sodium
nitrates commonly used as preservatives in these products.

Choose beverages and food with less sugar

Beverages and food with added sugar usually provide empty calories. Added sugar refers to sugar
that is added to food or drinks during manufacturing, cooking or at the table. Excessive consumption
of beverages and food high in added sugar can contribute considerably to energy intake and may lead
to weight gain if the excess calories are not expended. In addition, these items may displace other
more nutritious components of the diet.

Added sugar should contribute to no more than 10% of dietary energy. This translates to
approximately 40 55g (8-11 tsp) daily. This limit includes sugar added to beverages as well as food
such as cakes and candies.

Source: https://www.healthhub.sg/live-healthy/15/dietary_guidelines_adults

LEARNING POINT
There are many ways and means of eating healthy and we should take care of
our bodies by simply eating healthily. Having a balanced diet has a great impact
so we should watch what we eat. The school has played a part to help kick start
a healthy diet in students so students can start having a healthy diet starting
from the meals served in school. We should also watch our diet when eating out
as many of the food that is found when dining out can be unhealthy to an extent,
for example, too much oil is added into the food, so one solution is to ask the
stall owner to add lesser oil or to even eat out less often.