Beetroot cutlets replace burger buns: How students at this school are checking sugar boards, cutting down junk and eating healthy at the canteen

The school has not only revamped its menu to include healthier options but has also displayed a graphic board indicating the sugar component in widely-consumed food products, recommended daily sugar intake and healthier alternatives. Two months ago, on May 14, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had suggested setting up informative sugar boards in schools to monitor and reduce sugar intake among children and prevent childhood obesity, a precursor to diabetes in adulthood.

The communique was aimed at educating students, helping them make informed food choices at an early age and gear up for long-term health. The idea was to weave nutrition awareness into curricula in the hope that school regimentation would take care of the foundational health of students. The initiative has already begun showing some results. Like Anushka, who says she still likes junk food but has reduced the number of times she has it. Shashwat, another class V student, says, “My parents were really happy seeing all the health foods being served here. They are now cooking the same for me at home too.”

WHY TACKLING CHILDHOOD OBESITY IS PRIORITY

Active public health interventions are necessary as next generation Indians are perched on the upper end of the obesity curve. According to UNICEF’s World Obesity Atlas for 2022, India is predicted to have more than 27 million obese children, representing one in 10 children globally. The economic impact of obesity — measured in terms of increased healthcare spending and reduced workforce productivity — is expected to rise from $23 billion in 2009 to a whopping $ 479 billion by 2060.

Principal Supriti Chauhan has decided to focus on ways to tackle childhood obesity and has been consulting diet counsellors for cleaning up the school meal. “Our developmental years decide how we eat for the rest of our lives. That’s why we conduct regular counselling sessions with students about healthy eating. We have been conducting awareness activities around junk food for our primary students much before the circular was issued,” she says.

Tracing the childhood obesity curve, Dr Rajesh Khadgawat, endocrinologist at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, says, “Obesity has been progressively rising in school-going children. Almost 20 per cent students in this age group are living with the condition, most being private school-going children.” While government school children may not have access to pricey fast foods, the low prices of mini snack and cookie pouches means they are getting addicted to high salt and sugar foods too.

WHY TACKLING CHILDHOOD OBESITY IS PRIORITY

The obesity spiral is because of the imbalance of the calories we consume and their expenditure, according to Dr Khadgawat. “Children consume a lot of HFSS (high in fat, sugar and salt) foods and are physically active for a lesser number of hours needed to burn them. That’s why the excess calories we consume are stored in the form of fat. Not all schools can afford large playgrounds where children can take to aerobic sports. School playgrounds are shrinking due to commercial encroachment of open spaces and community parks are unsafe for children. Up to 98 per cent cases of childhood obesity are because of calorie overload and lack of exercise,” he says.

Obesity is not restricted to being a family or school-centric problem but has become a societal and national issue. “Children who are obese right now and continue to be so into adulthood will have a higher risk of diabetes, hypertension and even cancer,” warns Dr Khadgawat.

WHY THIS SCHOOL’S MODEL WORKS

DPS, Gautam Buddha Nagar, has 10 sugar boards positioned across the campus. Most of them have been made by the students themselves, helping them internalise the messaging. Says Shikha Rathi, coordinator for the primary wing, “Earlier, we would sell high calorie foods like samosas, chips, patties and sugary cold drinks. Now we have replaced them with whole wheat rolls, beetroot cutlets, baked kulcha, jal jeera and strawberry and banana shakes without added sugar. The menu is balanced in such a manner that the children can maintain steady energy levels. We also present healthy food in a manner that appeals to their taste buds.”

Teachers have smartly made the children a part of the health awareness campaign. Pointing to a display board outside a classroom, social science teacher Sayeeda Kirmani says how students gave a few suggestions on what they would like to replace the branded sugary drinks with. The biggest sugar board is placed next to the canteen’s main counter. “We have put the biggest board here because we want our students to pause, read and make a conscious food choice before buying,” says Kirmani.

Rathi says the school has also roped in parents to correct dietary habits among students. “There has to be a synergy between eating healthy at school and eating healthy at home as well. Any indulgence would cancel out the benefits,” she adds. The school has built a lot of physical activity into the routine to break sedentary behaviour. “Apart from football, badminton, basketball, lawn tennis and swimming, there are regular physical training sessions across age groups,” says Rathi.

A WORD OF CAUTION

Dr Khadgawat warns that schools should be vigilant about the food preparation method in their kitchens. “Healthy foods prepared through unhealthy methods, like deep frying or adding excessive amounts of sugar or salt, can negate their positive effects. Watch out for trans fats,” he says.

Dr Khadgawat says there is no fixed caloric intake for a child between five and 17 years. It depends on their physical activity and BMI (body mass index). “The best intervention to control the obesity epidemic is to educate our children. An experiment in Brazil found a positive correlation between health education and reduction in obesity of children. The study indicated how an awareness drive reduced childhood obesity by 20 per cent.”

While sugar boards have stirred conversations around mindful eating, it’s equally important that schools go beyond just visual reminders. The New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 emphasises integrating lessons on nutrition and healthy lifestyles within the school curriculum, not just serving meals but teaching children why eating right matters. As Chauhan puts it, “It’s time for a very simple but goal-oriented slogan — ‘Healthy food ensures a healthy body, a healthy body ensures a healthy mind, and a healthy mind ensures good academic performance.”