In an attempt to promote healthy eating habits among students, several city schools have not only banned junk food on their campus, but have also decided to include nutrition studies in their curriculum. This, say faculty members and school managements, will go a long way in creating awareness among students on following a healthy and balanced diet.

Delhi Public School, Bengaluru North, is one of the schools that has introduced in its curriculum a course on cooking healthy and nutritious food. This year onwards, the school will focus on educating students about calorie count in food items and will organise workshops with nutritionists.

Geeta Kandaraji, vice-principal of the school, said the boom of the fast food industry and increasing intake of high-calorie foods is the root cause of lifestyle problems such as obesity and diabetes. “The aim is to make sure that our children are well-informed about the benefits of eating healthy. With nutrition, we will also focus on promoting exercise and recreational activities. Children take an active part in understanding the importance of this and spread awareness on nutrition,,” she said.

Alankritha Surya, a nutritionist who teaches at Frank Anthony Public School, said they have topics on nutrition for class 11 and 12 students. Teenagers are inclined towards eating junk food, especially because of peer pressure. Students at the school have been told to put up stalls with healthy food. The school also has home science as an optional subject. This year, the focus of the programme is to teach students to bake with healthy ingredients such as brown sugar and oatmeal.

Some schools have included nutrition in their life skills programme. Jyotsna Nair, principal of National Public School, Koramangala, said they plan to introduce cooking sessions for middle school students, to equip them with the knowledge of how to prepare healthy food. “As a policy, we do not have a canteen in our school as it very often promotes the consumption of junk food in children. We insist that children eat healthy and home-cooked food at school,” Ms. Nair said.

Parents and students have welcomed these initiatives. Ritu Pathania, whose child studies in a private school in the city, said the school encourages students to consume fresh food instead of processed or canned items. “Few schools really take a step towards making nutrition a part of their curriculum. I am grateful to the school for encouraging students to understand the importance of nutrition,” she said.

Many students have also adopted these lessons at home. Smriti S., from DPS North, said that learning about healthy food substitutes at school has helped her change her diet even at home. “I eat healthy food and at the same time ensure that there is no compromise on taste.”