- Tuesday 24 January 2017
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Kale, chia seeds, coconut oil, quinoa, acai, goji berries—you’ve heard all the fancy-schmancy buzz words associated with healthy eating, but how do they fit into a teacher’s life and why are they necessary? You barely have time to grab a tin of tuna for lunch, let alone prepare a Tuscan kale salad with haloumi and a cranberry vinaigrette, and then find the time to eat it in between playground duty and catching up on marking.
Teachers are often placed under a lot of stress working extra hours preparing for class, planning lessons, and assessing and keeping student records. Illness is often the result of stress, which lowers your immune system and makes you more susceptible to disease. Snotty-nose children are also a hazard of the trade, and there is only so much hand sanitiser can do.
Stress and germs are unavoidable, so you need to give your immune system a headstart by feeding your body the right fuel. Foods that boost your ability to fight infections and those that contain anti-oxidants, vitamin C, omega-3s and zinc are key if you want to stave off illness and start the term with an armour of immunity.
So by now you know it’s important to eat healthy, but how can you prepare health-conscious meals while remaining time conscious? Here are a few quick ideas for your lunch box:
- Grab a plain greek yoghurt and add pepitas, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, cinnamon and blueberries for an anti-oxidant boost. The yoghurt will provide protein and good bacteria, while the pepitas contain zinc, the chia seeds have omega-3s and the sunflower seeds provide vitamin E. The cinnamon will help stabilise your blood sugar levels so you don’t experience a mid-morning drop.
- Throw together a quick salad with kale, spinach leaves, sweet potato (diced and steamed the night before—it’s the quickest way I’ve found to cook them) in order help fight infections. If your school allows nuts, then throw in some walnuts or almonds, otherwise just add pepitas or sunflower seeds. Dress with olive oil (again, for more anti-oxidants), and apple cider vinegar (which seems to provide the remedy for everything <http://www.rd.com/health/wellness/apple-cider-vinegar-benefits/>). Add a tin of tuna or salmon for extra protein to keep you feeling full so you can make it through to the home-time siren.
- There’s no shame in buying ready-made salads. The major supermarkets sell superfood salads, so just grab a few of those and add a tin of tuna or salmon, chickpeas or lentils and some feta cheese and you’re good to go. You can even add some brown rice—the pre-cooked pouches of course—to boost your immune system and brain and nervous system.
- Who says you can’t have breakfast foods for lunch? Oats are the quickest way to get some fibre and help lower cholesterol and boost your immune system. Use plain quick oats (or steel cut oats if you’re feeling fancy) and add some cinnamon, fruit, seeds and/or nuts and you have yourself a hearty meal. You can keep a box handy in your classroom and microwave them whenever you want.
- Create an adult bento box full of healthy, compartmentalised snacks in a lunch box. You can snack on it whenever you get the chance. Include things like hummus, wholegrain crackers, protein-packed low-fat cheese, slices of stress-fighting cucumber, anti-oxidant blueberries and apples, carrots for a vitamin A kick to the immune system, and a nutrient-loaded hard boiled egg. The chickpeas in the hummus will provide you with fibre to keep your blood glucose levels lower, garlic to help ward off infection and manganese to boost anti-oxidants.
- Switch your coffee for tea, especially green tea, for a high anti-oxidant boost, although all tea will do the trick. Try green matcha tea for the ultimate boost. It is not practical to have a boiling cup of tea on hand in your classroom throughout the day, but try preparing a jug and letting it cool down to make iced green tea. Add strawberries or mango for some vitamin C, or pears, cucumbers, mint leaves or anything else to jazz it up.
- If you really need a naughty treat to get you through the day then reach for some dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa. This will provide you with zinc and anti-oxidants while satisfying your cravings.
R.I.C. have a range of teaching resources for the classroom. You can view them here.
