Returning to school can be an exciting, busy time for young people and caregivers. For young people in eating disorder recovery, balancing both study and nourishment can feel overwhelming. To support our clients, we have created a guide to continuing to eat regularly, adequately, varied, and socially during the school term. 

For a summary of key dot-points, scroll to the summary section at the bottom of the page.

Regularity

One benefit of returning to school is the routine it provides young people, including meal pattern.

Eating regular meals and snacks has several benefits both for eating disorder recovery and general development, supporting concentration and learning, gut function, appetite, blood glucose levels, and sleep.

As a guide, we recommend 3 meals and 3-4 snacks each day. This includes eating every 2-4 hours, with less than 12 hours between meals/snacks overnight. 

For example, a typical school day could be: 

• 8:00am breakfast

• 10:30am morning tea (recess)

• 1:30pm lunch

• 4:00pm afternoon tea

• 6:30pm dinner

• 9:00pm dessert

However, no two young people have the same routine.

For example, a normal part of adolescent development is shift in sleep cycle to later in the evening and morning, making eating before school difficult. Other young people may have extra sporting commitments of an afternoon or evening. To support regular eating, their meal pattern should be adjusted to meet these needs. It is helpful to remember that the above meal pattern is common, it isn’t the only meal pattern.

One strategy to help with this is thinking of eating as ‘meals’ and ‘snacks’, rather than ‘breakfast, morning tea, lunch etc’ – after all, these are just names. 

For example, a young person who sleeps from 12:30pm-8:00am, has difficulty eating before school and finds their appetite is best of an afternoon could try: 

• 10:30am meal (recess break)

• 1:30pm snack (lunch break)

• 3:30pm meal

• 6:30pm meal

• 9:00pm snack

• 11:00pm snack

Another example is a dancer who teaches and trains from 4:00-8:00pm every evening. They could try:

• 7:30am meal

• 10:30am snack

• 1:30pm meal

• 3:30pm snack before class

• 6:00pm snack between classes

• 8:30pm meal

Adequacy

School requirements a significant amount of energy for concentration, learning and socialising. Combined with the energy demands of growth and additional sport, young people require a plentiful supply of food from all food groups during school hours.

Fortunately, the same approach used to build meals and snacks at home can be used for the lunch box. 

As a guide, we recommend half the meal be grains (bread, wraps, rice, pasta), one quarter protein (meat, fish, dairy), one quarter fruit or vegetables, plus a sauce or condiment. This can be paired with a nourishing drink (flavoured milk, juice, sports drink) and a side snack from any food group. For example, a chicken lettuce and mayo sandwich with an apple juice popper and a cheese stick.

For snacks, we recommend a minimum of 2 food, each from a different food group. For example, a fruit strap (fruit), yoghurt (dairy) and a muesli bar (grain). 

Using this guide, the next step is to make your lunch box do-able over the school term. For instance, if you find it easier and tastier to pack a cheese sandwich instead of chicken lettuce and mayo, why not add some fruit on the side to include the quarter of fruit or vegetable?

It is also important to consider food safety. This includes choosing foods than can be held at room temperature in a school bag, and using an insulated lunch box for meat or dairy. Also check your schools allergen policy, and ensure your young person is aware of any of their peers allergies if they intend on sharing food.

Variety

For many families, packing lunch boxes with a similar range of foods routinely is easier and more practical. This is completely fine and does not need to change during recovery. To optimise variety, this ‘routine’ lunch box can include several different food groups.

Exploring products designed for school lunches can be both convenient and a good source of variety. Despite often being mislabelled as ‘processed’, ‘full of sugar’ or ‘bad’, packaged foods contain the exact same nutrients as homemade foods.

Just as an apple and a banana will have different amounts of the similar nutrients, so will a bread roll and a packet of biscuits. They are two different foods, and both provide a young person with essential nutrients.

Packaged foods can increase the variety of tastes and textures in a lunch box, such as getting fruit both from soft tinned peaches and a chewy fruit strap. They are also convenient, and can make daily lunch packing a bit more do-able.

Other options to optimise variety throughout the week can include having regular ‘canteen’ days or packing dinner leftovers for lunch. The young person could also cook a new recipe on the weekend to add to their lunch box, such as cookies or pizza scrolls.

Caregivers can also use meals eaten at to role model variety for the young person, such as trying a new dinner each week.

These strategies can additionally develop the young person’s ability to respond flexibly to changes in the ‘routine’ lunch box, an essential component of eating disorder recovery. 

Eating Socially

The school environment can create a great opportunity for young people to practice eating socially, both as part of eating disorder recovery and general adolescent development. It creates space for young people to learn about different foods, cultural eating practices, and ideas from each other.

However, learning about foods can often lead to comparison. This can be challenging during recovery, as the young person’s eating pattern may differ from their peers.

One strategy to support the young person is to gently remind them that no two people have the same nutritional needs, making comparison unhelpful. It may also be helpful to remind them that they are only with their peers for part of the day, and only share 1-2 of several meals eaten over the day together. If the young person does not feel ready to return to eating socially, their school may be able to arrange an area for them to eat with support from a caregiver during breaks.

TLDR - Summary

To summarise, young people can continue practicing Regularity, Adequacy, Variety and Eating Socially at school by: 

• Regularity

• Aim for 3 meals and 3-4 snacks each day

• Eat every 2-4 hours

• Less than 12 hours between meals/snacks overnight

• Rearrange meal pattern to work with the young person’s sleep cycle and after school commitments

• Shift thinking from ‘breakfast, morning tea, lunch etc’ to ‘meal, snack’ to prioritise eating regularly over eating “normally” 

• Adequacy

• Main meals containing half grains, a quarter protein, a quarter fruit or vegetables, and a sauce or condiment. Pair with a nourishing drink and a side snack from any food group. 

• Snacks include minimum 2 items, each from a different food group

• Consider safe food storage

• Know your school allergen policy

• Variety

• ‘Routine’ lunch box containing each food group: grains, dairy, protein, and fruit/vegetables

• Explore packaged foods designed for school lunches, such as muesli bars, fruit straps and packets of biscuits

• Regular ‘canteen’ days 

• Pack dinner leftovers for lunch

• Involve the young person in weekend baking for new lunch box items, such cookies or pizza scrolls

• Use meals eaten at home to try new foods, such as dinners 

• Eating Socially

• Remember that no two people have the same nutritional needs, making comparison unhelpful

• Remember that they are only with their peers for part of the day, and only share 1-2 of several meals eaten over the day together

• Schools may be able to provide space to eat privately or with support from a caregiver

We hope you have found these strategies useful. For further support, you can speak to your dietitian or book an appointment with us. 

Good luck for Term 1!