Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s suggestion of a Marmite sandwich and an apple for lunch wouldn’t keep a child full or feed their brain sufficiently, according to local health and education experts.
“If you’re just doing a Marmite sandwich and an apple, you’re probably not meeting the protein requirements [which depend on age and gender],” paediatric dietician Jenny Douglas explained to RNZ.
“Ideally it would be a Marmite and cheese sandwich at least,” she said, noting that the high salt content of Marmite, which could shape one’s palate, giving a child a taste for salty snacks like pies and chips early on.
When i was a kid, my mom usually made me some “sandwiches” with proper bread, not the white paper sheets. Cheese, some veggies, often various organic nut spreads. Hazelnut was a favorite of mine with mashed banana, or just a whole banana or other fruit as dessert.
I was raised as a vegetarian by a very health conscious mother, for context. That being said this was within the german education system, where especially young kids don’t have school all day around here, so this is more of a second breakfast than a proper lunch.
We only have grainy bread, my kids have been raised on it as being normal. The closest they get to white bread is the oat one, or buns/etc which tend to only come in white.
The kids aren’t allowed peanut butter at school, not sure if things that look like peanut butter but aren’t (other nut spreads) are an issue or not. I’ve avoided them to stay well clear.
I’ve done carrot or cucumber sticks at times, but I make the lunch the night before and I think they dry out a bit by lunchtime the next day.