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SINGAPORE - A new module is to be rolled out at three Singapore primary schools to educate children on nutrition and healthy eating.
Part of Royal Philips Electronics' global SimplyHealthy@Schools programme, the programme was developed in collaboration with the Singapore Nutrition and Dietetics Association (SNDA).
The new module on nutrition aims to increase children's understanding of how their food choices can affect their health and well-being.
Children will be taught the importance of starting their day with a healthy breakfast, and the need to eat a colourful variety of vegetables and fruits.
A set of seven healthy breakfast recipes, one for each day of the week and for each colour of the rainbow, has also been developed to help parents prepare simple and healthy breakfasts that are attractive to children.
Students from Gan Eng Seng, First Toa Payoh and Junyuan will be amongst the first in the region to learn from Philips' programme volunteers.
Based on a recent poll of more than 170 primary school students in Singapore, it was found that only 52 per cent of children eat breakfast daily.
The poll also indicated that about 40 per cent of students are not eating fruits and vegetables every day.
According to Philips, studies have shown that children who regularly eat breakfast have better standardised test scores, better behaviour and are less hyperactive than children who skip breakfast.
At the same time, a growing body of research proves that fruits and vegetables are critical to promoting good health as they are packed with essential vitamins, minerals, fibre and phytochemicals.
"Teaching a child the importance of a healthy diet and instilling the right attitudes to embrace a healthy lifestyle is possibly the most valuable gift anyone can give to a child," said Chow Pek Yee, President, Singapore Nutrition and Dietetics Association and Federation of Asian Nutrition Societies.
yamadak@sph.com.sg