Whole wheat burgers, millet pasta: How Delhi schools are serving up healthier menus

Indian Express

7 days ago

Priti Bali works her magic in the kitchen by asking one question: How can a meal be more interesting?
'Kids love flavour, texture, variety,' says the Delhi-based award-winning food entrepreneur who consults for six private schools in the city. 'If the food looks exciting and tastes good, they're not going to ask whether it has maida or not.'
Bali's approach aligns well with the Central Board for Secondary Education's recent directive to display oil and sugar boards in schools. The boards are to be installed in shared common spaces with the aim to educate students as well as the teachers on the harmful effects of high ocnsumption of fat, oil, and sugar.
But for Bali, it's not just about nutritional transparency. It's going a little further by changing habits subtly. 'You can't just tell children what not to eat. You have to show them there's something better.'
From millet-based pizzas to homemade corn chips, her menu reads like a chef's answer to a nutritionist's wishlist. 'I make dal makhani without cream… I use butter and crushed cashews and almonds,' Bali says.
Burgers come on millet buns, coleslaw is made with hung curd, and homemade Mediterranean dips like tzatziki — a Greek-style yoghurt dip known for its gut-friendly properties — replace anything processed, especially Mayonnaise. 'You have to keep it fun,' she says.
During winters, she introduces jaggery-based drinks that help clear the lungs.
'Healthy food doesn't have to come with warnings,' she says. 'It should come with flavour.'
Schools, meanwhile, have taken a leaf out of her book by revamping canteen menus and introducing food-related projects.
At ITL Public School, Ritu Sharma, academic coordinator, accompanied a group of Class 12 students to Shimla earlier this year. The students were given full freedom; some had money, others had access to kettles in their hotel rooms. But not one reached for instant noodles, Sharma says.
'They stuck to the school's planned meals. Some even brought home-packed food. That was new.'
The school also tracks daily cafeteria feedback, conducts interdisciplinary projects around food labels and health, and ensures every student undergoes medical checkups twice a year.
'Fruit breaks, peer educator programmes, and now the CBSE's sugar and oil boards have all helped build awareness,' says Sumana Goswami, coordinator of Class 9 and 10 classes at the school.
'We have seen thyroid and ovarian issues in senior classes. Children do become stressed and tired. Physical activities in the school make a huge difference,' Sharma says.
For Shalini Choudhary, headmistress at Mamta Modern School in Vikaspuri, the shift was noticeable at home.
'My son came back from school and said, 'Mama, kal lunch mein pickle dena (Ma, don't add pickle to my lunch tomorrow)',' she recalls. 'He didn't even know what a pickle was… we don't eat it at home. He'd tasted it from a classmate's tiffin.'
That one sentence said everything about how children absorb food culture through their peers, and how schools influence the food choices, Choudhary realised.
At her school, sugar boards are now displayed in the secondary wing, and fruit and vegetable theme days are held to nudge children towards healthier choices. 'In primary classes, parents still control the food,' she says. 'But by middle school, peer influence and coaching schedules take over.'
At DPS Mathura Road, a revamped menu now features rajma rice, whole wheat burgers, semolina pasta, and drinks like chaach and coconut water. 'We've cut down on oily dishes like puri chole to once a week,' says Kamna Arora, coordinator for Classes 3 to 5. 'And we reserve one day when children can have what they like, French fries, honey chilli potato. But the rest of the week is clean.'
In pre-primary classes, 'Healthy Tiffin Weeks' are now frequent, with games, story sessions, and reward charts encouraging children to bring fruits, vegetables, and homemade snacks.
At Sri Venkateshwar International School, the canteen doesn't sit in a corner of the school; it is brought to the students.
Each day, a mobile food stall is set up outside a different classroom. Trisha, a Class 12 student, loves (millet-based) pasta day. Her friends, Avni and Tuhina, say that between coaching classes and long school days, planning healthy meals at home is a struggle. 'At least here, we know the food's strictly healthy,' Avni says.
'We use palm oil instead of refined, limit spice, and constantly update our menu based on feedback,' says Ushma Kapoor, foundational years in charge. 'It's not just about what's in the food, but about teaching children how to think about food.'
Doctors agree that the food boards are a step in the right direction in educating students.
'It is not about eating less food,' says Dr Nitin Verma, Director of Paediatrics at Madhukar Rainbow Children's Hospital. 'It is about eating the right food.'
He warns that the early introduction of sugar can raise the risk of Type 2 diabetes, and says screen-heavy routines have led to a dangerous combination of sedentary lifestyles and junk food addiction.
The CBSE boards, he says, are a good start, but he emphasises that more is needed: 'Schools should offer real alternatives: avocado toast, sprouts, protein-rich meals. Don't ban. Replace.'
At Orchids International School, Gurgaon, Principal Dr Chaitini Kumar says, 'Binge-eating is a concern… When I was in Mumbai, a grade 2 student had obesity issues. Her parents were frustrated that she only eats aloo puri… we gave her a lot of options, but she wouldn't eat… So that happens a lot.'
At the same school, a Class 9 boy says, 'When I was in Class 5, I was addicted to sugary food. After some time, when I entered Class 7, I understood the harm it has on the body. That's when I decided to reduce it.'
Schools are also trying to balance health goals with student preferences.
At Amity International School, Saket, the canteen menu includes familiar favourites like rajma chawal, chhole chawal, chana kulcha, idli sambhar, and vegetarian fried rice with manchurian. Among students, the most popular dish is vegetable chowmein. While the noodles are made using maida, the school has added more vegetables to enhance their nutritional value.
Principal Divya Bhatia says, 'Chips and aerated drinks are not served. We are also contemplating adding sprout chaat, wheat kathis and beetroot rolls.'
The canteen is open to students from Class VI onwards, while students of Classes IV and V are allowed to purchase food on specific days.
At DPS Mathura Road, Kamna Arora, coordinator for Classes 3 to 5, explains, 'There are two kinds of parents. Some are very health conscious and support these changes. But others insist on keeping items their child likes — like noodles.'
To find a middle ground, the school includes items like fries or veg manchurian once a week, while focusing on healthier options the rest of the time.
On a Friday morning in her office, Arora flips through a student's notebook from Class IV, where she's checking diagrams of human teeth. One page, written in neat handwriting, poses the question: 'What is a balanced diet?'
She explains that the lesson connects the two on how poor eating habits, like excess sugar or lack of nutrients, can lead to tooth decay and other oral health issues. 'These lessons are embedded across subjects,' she says. 'It becomes more detailed in Class V and above, but the foundation is laid early. Every moment in school is an opportunity to reinforce it.'