Fast food fans beware... schools may ban the burger!

IT is official, schools in Scotland have changed what dinners they serve to children and burgers and hotdogs will only be allowed once a week.

There will be chips just twice a week, and fizzy drinks will be replaced by water or milk. And chocoholics will be upset because chocolate is being banned! Instead, kids will be served two portions of fruit and veg a day, pasta or rice once a week, bread every day and garlic bread only twice a week.

While there are currently no plans to bring in the same rules in schools in England, it shows that adults are concerned about just how much junk food children are eating.

A survey was carried out recently into children's eating habits and - surprise, surprise - it turns out that kids would rather eat pizza than salad.

Top five school dinners

1. Pizza

2. Burgers

3. Pasta/spaghetti

4. Roast dinner

5. Curry

Although 84 per cent of children who ate school dinners said they enjoyed them, they admitted that they also snack on other food during the day.

Amazingly, kids are spending almost as much on snacks as they do on dinner (£1.40 on snacks per day and £1.56 on school dinner).

Top five favourite snacks

1. Sweets

2. Crisps

3. Chocolate

4. Fizzy drinks

5. Chewing gum

You would think that after eating all that pizza and chocolate that kids would be getting some exercise to keep them fit and healthy - but the truth is they don't!

Among the excuses kids came up with were that they were too busy watching television, they were too lazy or that they spent too much time talking with their friends.

At the end of the day, there is no such thing as 'good' foods and 'bad' foods but there is such a thing as a 'good' or 'bad' diet.

What is important is that you eat a balanced diet.

That way the occasional helping of chips or bag of crisps will not hurt!

A healthy meal includes:

l Starchy foods such as bread, pasta, rice or potatoes (choosing wholegrain varieties where possible)

l Plenty of fruit and vegetables

l Moderate amounts of meat, fish, meat alternatives, milk and dairy products

My favourite school dinner is chips with gravy, or chips with curry, or chips with beans, or chips with ketchup. In fact I like anything that has chips with it!

Ciara, 10

At school we're told about healthy food but then you go to have your dinner and it's all junk food. You eat pie and chips, a Mars bar and drink coke. Schools teach you one thing then do another so how are we supposed to eat healthily?

Paul, 12

Most school dinners have loads of fat in but I eat them anyway because they taste good. The healthy choice is a roll with ham and lettuce - not very tasty.

Stephen, 10

Every day I think that I will eat healthily all day but it never seems to happen. I just always want crisps or sweets by morning playtime.

Jessica, 10

My favourite food is pizza but I don't think it's that bad for you. It's not as bad as chips.

Luke, 10

Kids will always choose chips before salad because they taste nicer. I think that if your mum tells you you can't have something then you just want it even more. I only eat fruit when there's nothing else in at home.

Abbie, 11

I love fruit but it's just easier to go to the shop and buy sweets. You wouldn't walk into a sweet shop and find apples. If sweet shops sold fruit then I would buy it instead of chocolate.

James, 9