Stanley Ka Dabba

Dipti Rae with Stuti, her 12-year old daughter studying in class VII. They live in Gurgaon, Haryana.

What can we say about junk food that hasn’t been said already? Its uncontolled consumption by children is becoming a major concern for parents and medical professionals. GT decided to take a glimpse into the food habits of an average child living in an urban set-up. We asked a few parents to share their wards’ breakfast and lunch menu for a week.

Monday: 2 stuffed paranthas, 2-4 biscuits

Tuesday:  Roti wraps stuffed with a dry vegetable like ladyfinger or cottage cheese, few namakparas (wheat crispies)

Wednesday: Paranthas made with green leafy vegetables like spinach or fenugreek, chips or homemade cake

Thursday: Bread rolls stuffed with cheese or potatoe and peas with tomato ketchup, biscuits

Friday: Cottage cheese or potatoe stuffed kulchas (flatbread made from refined flour)

“Before going to school, Stuti has a glass of lukewarm milk with no sugar, eight almonds, a slice of bread or poha (dish made from flattened rice) or upma (dish made from semolina) or half a banana. When she is running against time, its only milk! She does not eat at the school canteen and once back home, she eats a light lunch - salad, dal, rice or roti,” Dipti tells us.

Ilora Reji with 8 year old Mark, a class III student. They live in Vadodara, Gujrat.

Monday: 3-4 idlis with chutney

Tuesday: Poha or upma with mango pickle

Wednesday: Plain parantha or home made thepla (dish made of whole wheat flour)

Thursday:     Potatoe or cauliflower stuffed parantha

Friday: Stuffed vegetable or chicken sandwich

Saturday (half day): Bread and omlette

“Mark loves milk with little sugar. So I don’t add anything to it. His school timings are 8 am to 1.30 pm so he has an early breakfast at 7.15 am. After coming back from school, he eats lunch which is usually roti and a dry vegetable. I give him non-vegetarian food thrice in a week, preferably fish fry or curry,” Ilora says.

Arun Elassery with his wife and children who are home schooled. As part of their curriculum, the children are responsible for making food for themselves and their parents. They live in Bangalore, Karnataka.

Breakfast

1. Fruit - usually banana. Otherwise, papaya, chiku, guava etc, whatever is available in the season.
2. Muesli made at home using three spoons of oats, three spoons of chidwa (beaten rice), two almonds, 15 raisins, one spoon cut dates, honey or liquid jaggery, milk.

Lunch

Rice, dal, dry vegetable and curd.

“We order food from outside regularly and also go out to restaurants. We do not buy any imported products and fruits as a rule though. So no imported apples or jam,” says Arun.

Brinda Gupta with her sons Shamik and Sushmit. Shamik, 13 is a Class VII student and Sushmit, 7, studies in Class II. They stay in Alaknanda, Delhi.

While Shamik prefers Yakult (a popular fermented milk product) and a fruit to start his day, Sushmit likes to eat a fruit and biscuits before going to school. Sushmit also carries an extra fruit for a compulsory short break. Both prefer having bread in their tiffin hence Brinda makes sure she buys the multigrain varitey.

Tiffin consists of either aloo tikki, sandwich, pizza toast, pav bhaji or garlic toast with cheese. “I make sure they carry paranthas once a week,” she says. Once back home, lunch is generally rice, dal and vegetable. Shamik loves to have a side dish with food like roasted papad.