16/08/2025
From đProcessed to đNourishing â A Menu Transformation That Matters!
What may look like a simple piece of paper in my hands actually represents a huge change for hundreds of children at my daughtersâ daycare and preschool.
Over the past few months, I had the opportunity to completely redesign their food program. The old menu was highly processed, loaded with added sugars and salt, artificial colors, flavor enhancers, and other ingredients that donât belong in childrenâs meals. Today, the menu looks very different. Here is what changed:
đ Canned fruit in syrup â đ« Frozen fruit, nothing added, some even organic
đ„Ł Sugary cereals & pastry-like buns â đ Banana-oatmeal, homemade tahini-oat-date bars & wholegrain cereals with minimal sugar
đ„« Canned veggies with salt & sugar â đ„Š Frozen vegetables, nothing added
đ Chicken nuggets â đ Lentils & beans (3 vegetarian meals out of 5 each week!đđœ)
đ§ Bouillon powders & spice mixes loaded with salt, dyes and flavor enhancers â đ±nothing but salt-free herbs & spices
đ White rice & pasta â Wholegrain versions
đȘ Cookies & salty snacks â đ„ Yogurt with fruit, homemade oatmeal cookies & wholegrain crackers
And hereâs the best part: all of this was achieved within the same budget.
Iâm deeply grateful to the daycare team for trusting me with this project and for embracing every single suggestion for the new school yearâš
Children deserve better. They deserve real, nourishing food as the foundation for learning, growing, and thriving đ
I hope more schools and daycares will be inspired to take this step â because healthy change is possible. đ±
