Planning meals and snacks at school

for children with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)

Thinking ahead, planning and good communication with school staff can help your child enjoy meals and snacks and have fun at break times with friends.

This leaflet aims to provide suggestions on how to choose suitable foods for your child at school.

Always check with your Dietitian regarding which specific foods and drinks are suitable for your child.

Who should I speak to in school about my child’s diet? It can be useful to talk to teachers, medical staff such as the school nurse, the principal/head teacher and canteen staff about your child’s specific dietary needs.

Useful ideas:

• You could ask your child’s school for a copy of the school menu cycle, nutritional information and food labels of foods usually available.

• You could ask your Dietitian to use these to help identify the best school meals and snack choices.

• You could ask your Dietitian to talk to your child’s school directly to help explain the diet and the importance of suitable school meals and snack choices.

• To help you keep track of your child’s diet you could send a daily diary into school and ask teachers to fill out what foods and snacks were eaten.

In an average school day, there are set times when your child

will have meals and snacks.

Remember:• Be mindful of all dietary restrictions your child is currently following.• Keep to your child’s allowance of fruit, vegetables and potatoes if you

have been given one.• Choose white varieties of bread, pasta and rice.

If breakfast is eaten at school, choose:

Some schools provide breakfast, snacks and lunch

Snack ideas

• Toast, crumpet or croissant with butter or margarine. You can also add jam or honey

• Porridge

• Suitable cereal such as flakes of corn or puffed rice

• Fruit pots - check with your Dietitian regarding which options are suitable

• Milk or milk substitute - your Dietitian may advise your child to follow a daily dairy allowance

• Crackers or crispbread with butter, spread, jam or honey

• Breadsticks or plain rice cakes

• Dry cereal• Brioche roll

• Croissant• Pancake• Natural or flavoured yoghurt

(within your child’s dairy allowance)

• Plain or sweet popcorn

• Jelly pots• Suitable fruit• Biscuits such as plain

digestives, gingernuts, sandwich biscuits, shortcake

Lunch Ideas:• Ciabatta bread, roast chicken, roasted red peppers, full fat cream cheese. • Tortilla wrap, tuna, mayonnaise. • Bagel, roast beef, spinach, butter.

Lunch IdeasMix and match with one from each column to build a balanced lunch. See below for some ideas.

Starchy food Protein and dairy Vegetables Fruit Spreads

• Bread roll• Wraps• Pasta• Rice• Potato• Chapati• Bagel• Pitta bread• Ciabatta bread• Naan• Pancakes• Plain Muffin• Noodles• Grains • Breadsticks • Crackers• Rice Cakes

• Roast meat, chicken, turkey - avoid processed meats

• Boiled egg / egg mayonaise

• Tuna tinned in oil or spring water or mixed with mayonaisse

• Mince meat / meat substitute

• Salmon / fish cake

• Lettuce• Cucumber• Spinach• Peppers• Celery • Corn• Onion• Peas • Squash

• Apple• Tangerine /

mandarin• Blueberries /

raspberries / strawberries

• Grapes• Pineapple• Fruit cocktail –

tinned in syrup, drained

• Butter• Full fat cream

cheese• Mayonnaise• Jam

• Buy a fun/colourful lunch box or lunch bag.

• Try warm soups in a flask, be mindful of fluid allowance.

• Consider planning your lunch options in advance to make it quicker in the morning.

• Remember to check food labels or speak to your child’s Dietitian to check if a food is suitable or not.

• Follow all usual food safety guidance.

Tips for packing a school lunch

Planning specific days to have school meals at lunchtime may help your child to feel part of the lunchtime fun. The kitchen staff may be able to swap an unsuitable food for one which is suitable. If this is planned in advance, changes can be achieved without drawing any unnecessary attention at the mealtime.

You could also try packing part of the meal in your child’s lunch box and then your child can make up the remainder of the meal with the options offered at school. For example, you could pack a measured portion of cooked meat and then choose pasta, rice or garlic bread from the canteen to make up the full meal.

Some of these hot options may be suitable: • Plain hamburger or chicken fillet/veggie burger in bun• Spaghetti, meat and a small amount of sauce• Meat with rice and vegetables• Egg fried rice• Fish with a portion of rice or pasta• Dessert options – jelly, sponge cake, lemon cake, shortbread with cream• Snack foods such as crackers, savoury muffin, croissant, garlic bread• Tinned fruit in syrup (drained)

When your child has school meals for lunch...

Speak to your Dietitian and school kitchen staff to plan what will work best for you.

It is important to stay hydrated in school.Your child may have a set amount of fluid to drink in a day.

Drinks

Choose a mixture of:

• Water

• Water with squash or cordial

• Milk substitute

• Special drinks recommended by your Dietitian

Note: It is important to keep within the fluid allowance set by your Dietitian.

Using a colourful bottle with marks on the side can help keep track of how much you drink during the day.

If your child has been advised to take Renastep™ as part of their dietary regime, this can be packed into a lunchbox

A Nestlé Health Science Company

®Reg. Trademark of Société des Produits Nestlé S.A.

November 2018RS1-0918-V1

Renastep™ is a food for special medical purposes and must be used under medical supervision.

Renastep is a ready to use feed for the dietary management of kidney disease from 3 years of age onwards.

Regular monitoring of nutritional status and electrolyte levels is required.

Renastep contains milk and fish.

Refer to Renastep label for allergen and other information.