Secondary School Food Scenarios
This practical guide can help adults navigate situations related to eating at secondary school in a positive, supportive way.
Being neutral and not commenting on what, whether, and how much students are eating can help them develop a positive relationship with food.
If you have concerns about students not having enough to eat, consider whether it would be helpful to reach out to the family and/or speak with your administrators or other school support staff. Approach the situation with curiosity to learn what might be going on under the surface.
Here is a list of common scenarios related to eating that you might encounter in your school. For each scenario, you can find:
- a response that you might be tempted to use (i.e., Instead of...)
- a more neutral response that we recommend (i.e., Consider...)
- a rationale for the recommended response (i.e., Here's why...)
- Questioning the student’s food choices.
“You’re having fast food? You know that isn’t good for you.”
- Not commenting at all.
- Making conversation unrelated to the food.
“How is the weather outside?”
“How’s your day going so far?”
“Do you have any plans this weekend?”
- Questioning students for having certain foods places judgment on those foods. These comments can lead to feelings of guilt or shame and reinforce diet culture messaging. It may also cause others around them to feel shame if they have eaten those same foods.
Praising the student’s food choices.
“You’re having a salad? That’s a good, healthy choice!”
- Not commenting at all.
- Making conversation unrelated to the food.
“How is the weather outside?”
“How’s your day going so far?”
“Do you have any plans this weekend?”
- Praising students for having certain foods places judgment on those foods. It may also cause others to feel shame if they don’t have the same foods. These comments, even if well attended, can reinforce diet culture messaging.
- Youth primarily choose food based on taste, preference, and convenience. Health is most likely not one of the reasons, but in certain instances it might be. As much as we want to reinforce positive health behaviours, the best way to respect one’s food choices is by saying nothing at all.
- Making a comment.
“As if you are only eating chips for lunch again!?”
“I noticed you’re only eating cucumbers for lunch again. Are you on a diet?”
- Not commenting at all.
- If you have concerns about students not having enough to eat or showing signs of disordered eating, reach out to their families and/or speak with your administrators.
- Students may bring a limited variety of food in their lunch for a number of reasons (e.g., preferences, concerns with being bullied and negative comments, convenience, food insecurity, disordered eating). Drawing attention to a specific student can be harmful and bring up negative emotions for them.
- Ignoring the comment.
- Intervening with a reminder to not judge other peoples’ bodies and food choices.
- After the fact, meeting with the student who was bullied in a private space (see How to intervene when weight-based bullying occurs at school)
- Making sure your classroom is a safe space where all body shapes and sizes are respected (see EveryBody topic page)
To the student who made the comment: “Please don’t make a comment like that. Everyone should be able to eat the foods they enjoy.”
- Weight-based bullying is not acceptable and leads to many negative consequences.
Kitchen Safety Tips
Roles and Responsibilities Related to Food & Eating - Secondary
