New Menu, Greater Goodness

We go about our daily lives sometimes coming across a saying: “we are what we eat”. Many studies have shown that while food is fuel for our bodies, it can also impact our moods and behaviour. Hence it is vital that we cultivate healthy eating habits early.

Here at ELFA preschools , we encourage our children on eating right by providing healthier meals as they spend a major part of the day with us. We are consistently improving our menu items and have received the Healthy Pre-school Programme (HPS) Platinum Award from the Health Promotion Board (HPB) this year! The Platinum accreditation distinguishes pre-schools which made efforts beyond the basic requirements of the Healthy Pre-Schools (HPS) Accreditation Framework for their students and staff.

While reviewing our menu for this year, we would like to highlight one new dish and notable changes to two dishes:

1. Tomato Curry Tofu Chicken Brown Rice with Broccoli & Carrots (NEW)
2. Horlicks Oat Milk Porridge with Raisins (added Horlick for flavour)
3. Teriyaki Fish & Mushroom Wholemeal Bee Tai Mak with Xiao Bai Cai, Carrots & Egg (changed chicken to fish and use wholemeal bee tai mak instead of wholemeal yellow noodles)

Our lunch dishes (item 1 & 3) consist of four main food groups – wholegrain, meat & alternatives, fruits and vegetables (fruits are given at the end of the meal). The very popular breakfast dish – Oat Milk porridge with raisins is now infused with Horlicks, and our children cannot seem to get enough of it!

Notwithstanding the above three dishes, our menu not only have wholesome meals but also incorporates a facet of various cultural flavours for our children to experience. Since aligning ourselves with the standards from HPB, we have progressively introduced wholegrain foods which are rich in fibre, vitamins and antioxidants. Some examples of wholegrain food found in our dishes are oatmeal, brown rice and different variety of wholemeal noodles. We believe by introducing such food to young children will help them accustom with its taste and textures. One of the many guidelines by HPB is to encourage the use of food products and ingredients that are labelled with the Healthier Choice Symbol (HCS) or equivalent. At the same time, our centres also educate children on how to identify healthier product through such labels.