ABOUT CRUNCH & SIP
The Crunch&Sip program is an easy way to help kids stay healthy and happy and it is coming to St Emilie’s as of Monday 4th August, Week 3 this term!
Crunch&Sip is essentially a whole school break at 10.00am to eat fruit or salad vegetables and drink water in the classroom. Students re-fuel with fruit or vegetables, and this assists with both physical and mental performance and concentration in the classroom.
Every day parents are asked to please make sure that children bring an extra – small piece of fruit, or a small container with cut fruit and vegetables that they can eat mid morning prior to morning tea.
Through Crunch&Sip, schools like St Emilie’s demonstrate our commitment to nutrition education both in the classroom, by making links with the curriculum and by creating a supportive whole school environment.
THE ROTTEN APPLE SYNDROME
As parents, we are only too familiar with the rotten apple or worse the mouldy orange that hides at the bottom of the school bag waiting to be discovered at the end of term.
Diligently we send our little darlings off to school every day with a piece of fruit only to be discouraged when it comes home again, a little bruised and battered. Ever hopeful we do the same thing day after day. This is what Einstein defined as insanity:
“Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results!”
Many parents have been saved from this dreadful fate by the innovative Crunch&Sip program.
Helen Marshall, mother of Molly (7 years) said “I know that Molly will be eating at least one piece of fruit thanks to Crunch&Sip. The fruit always gets eaten. It never comes home again in her lunchbox.”
The Crunch&Sip break is not only a time to introduce children to fresh fruit and vegies it is also an opportunity to encourage the habit of drinking water. Research indicates that children rarely drink enough water and often forget to drink unless reminded.
Please don’t forget to pack Crunch&Sip in the school bag every day.
CRUNCH:
Easy-to-eat seasonal fruit such as a small apple, a container with hulled strawberries, a mandarin or banana
OR
Vegetables such as carrot or celery sticks, capsicum, cherry tomatoes or snow peas etc
AND SIP:
A clean, water bottle filled with plain water
PERMITTED FOODS
CRUNCH:
ALLOWED
Fruit
- All fresh fruit is permitted (e.g. whole fruits such as a banana or a small apple, chopped melon)
- Dried fruit is permitted, although, fresh fruit or vegetables is the first choice because dried fruit contains high concentration of natural sugar and it tends to cling to teeth, increasing risk of tooth decay (e.g. sultanas)
Vegetables
- All fresh vegetables are permitted (e.g. celery, carrot sticks, broccoli pieces etc.)
Don’t forget
- To wash all fruit and vegetables before eating
- Easy-to-eat fruit and veg is best
- Buying fruit and vegetables in season is cheaper and tastes better
NOT ALLOWED
All other foods are not permitted including:
- ‘Fruit’ products (e.g. fruit leather, fruit roll-ups, fruit bars or similar)
- Fruit jams or jellies
- Fruit pies or cakes
- Fruit canned in syrup or jelly or with artificial sweeteners
- Canned or processed vegetables
- Vegetable or potato crisps, hot potato chips, olives
- Vegetable pastries (pies, pasties, sausage rolls)
- Baked vegetable breads
- Vegetable cakes, fritters, quiches or similar
- Popcorn
AND SIP:
ALLOWED
- A clean, clear water bottle filled with plain water. Only plain water is to be consumed in the classroom
Don’t forget
- To wash your water bottles daily
- Don’t share water bottles
NOT ALLOWED
- All other drinks (including waters with added vitamins, minerals, or carbonates) are not permitted including:
◦ Fruit juice or fruit juice drink
◦ Fruit cordial or mineral waters
◦ Vegetable juices
