Washington: Eating nutritional foods can help children be at their best academically, experts say.

A nutritionist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center says that lunches served in school cafeterias are not always the best option, adding that a lunch from home may be more nutritious.

� Lunches served in school cafeterias are not always the best choice and I recommend that sometimes lunches need to be packed. though The Healthy School Lunch Campaign is urging schools to serve more balanced, lower fat meals, a packed lunch means the parents are in control of what children eat, including their portion size,” says Mary Pat Alfaro, MS, RD, CNSD, education coordinator in Nutrition Therapy at Cincinnati Children’s.

Nutrition is very important for school children, for many reasons. Multiple studies have shown that poor nutrition has an adverse effect on school performance and overall achievement. Improving health and nutrition in underfed children is linked with less non-attendance, more grades completed and better performance on tests.

Alfro says that good nutrition also improves mental and behavioural performance.

She adds that obesity, which is a result of eating unhealthy food, not only impacts children’s physical health but also psychosocial health. A study of self reported quality of life in children and adolescents showed that obesity leads to considerably lower emotional, social and school functioning. Prevention and treatment of obesity is an important goal for improving mental and physical health for all children. Healthy eating and exercise are important means of treating and preventing obesity.

“So as we can see, the evidence for providing healthy foods for children can contribute to a better school year academically, physically and socially,” says Alfaro