Nutritionist Mandy Sacher creates healthy meals for childcare centres on a budget

One childcare centre is proving healthy food can be made on a budget as a new investigation reveals the horrific things many kids are eating, including meals full of salt for babies.

Brain boosting bliss balls, sweet potato pikelets, fish curry and mountain bread.

These are some of the tasty offerings set to be rolled out by one childcare provider, which is determined to prove you can provide good food to kids for as little as $3.50 a day.

The brains behind the food revolution is Mandy Sacher, a paediatric nutritionist and author, who has just been hired by private childcare group MindChamps.

Having been a consultant for hundreds of daycare centres, Ms Sacher said there was a “critical need for improvement in the sector”.

Chief Nutrition Officer Mandy Sacher at the Mascot MindChamps Centre. Picture: Chris Pavlich

It follows a recent investigation by News Corp that found that kids were being fed in some childcare centres for as little as 65 cents a day and often the food was protein poor, carb heavy and low on fresh fruit and vegetables.

Ms Sacher said she had created several menus on a budget ranging in price from $3.50 to $4.50 per child per day, and everything was made from scratch including snacks such as wholegrain crackers.

A recent survey by the United Workers Union found childcare centres spend on average $2.15 a day on food.

“I’ve worked with hundreds of childcare centres giving advice, but it was mostly a case of, ‘We would like to do that but we don’t have the budget’,” Ms Sacher said.

“Food is often an afterthought in childcare and an area where people think they can save money.”

MindChamps students Nicole and Archer tuck in. Picture: Chris Pavlich

MENU 1:

Breakfast: Sweet potato pikelets, strawberries

Mid-Morning Snack: Mountain bread chips, hummus, veggie sticks, fruit

Lunch: Delicious fish curry, brown rice and steamed veggies

Mid-Afternoon Snack: Cheesy polenta squares, veggie sticks

Late Snack: Brown rice crackers, veggie sticks, guacamole dip

MENU 2:

Breakfast: Tasty veggie omelette with wholemeal toast

Mid-Morning Snack: Breakfast muesli bar, veggie sticks, fresh fruit

Lunch: Shepherd’s pie, roast veggies, rice and steamed veggies

Mid-Afternoon Snack: Choc brain-boosting bliss balls, natural yoghurt, veggie sticks

Late Snack: Cheese, veggie sticks and hummus

Chief Nutrition Officer Mandy Sacher and students having lunch at a MindChamps Centre in Sydney. Picture: Chris Pavlich

During her time inside other childcare centres she had witnessed staff inappropriately blending food laden with salt to give to babies.

She said some centres used “horrific shortcuts” such as instant mash or packet soups for sauces.

“Often the sodium levels are through the roof, maybe three times what they should be,” Ms Sacher said.

“It is a cause for alarm and something that needs to change within the industry.”

She also saw cheap, low quality ingredients, not recommended for children such as processed meats.

Some examples of bad food include salty sausage casserole. Picture: Supplied

Cooks reveal kids choose plain pasta over meals offered. Picture: Supplied

She also said there was a lack of vegetables, often just one serve a day, instead of five.

“Healthy eating does not have to be expensive,” she said.

She explained the food affected not just their physical health, but their behaviour too.

Ms Sacher said in addition to creating the new menus, she was training the childcare centre directors and the cooks at MindChamps.

Only ingredients she approved would be allowed in the pantries and cooks would have to follow an approved menu plan and recipes.

Dietitian Dr Rosemary Stanton said the new menu sounded complicated for staff to make and children didn’t need anything fancy but simple, healthy food.

But she agreed childcare providers should not save money by cutting the food budget.

“Keep it simple and keep it healthy,” she said. “If it costs $2 extra to do that, the money should be spent.”

Not all childcare centre menus accurately reflect reality. Kids got bread and butter for afternoon tea, instead of the gourmet sandwiches. Picture: Supplied

KEY ISSUES WITH WHAT SOME KIDS ARE FED AT DAYCARE

•Meals with more than three times the recommended amount of sodium

•Use of low quality ingredients

•Processed meats – not nutritionally recommended for children at all – used frequently

•Just one serve of vegetables a day

•No proper baby weaning program

•An increase in food allergies

•No variety in menus and food

•A lack of training for in-centre cooks