FOLLOWING Jamie Oliver's national campaign for healthier school dinners, Nicola Phipps, a nutritionist from Kersoe, is keen to turn the spotlight on lunchboxes,

Nicola is a nutritional therapist and believes sending Vale pupils to school armed with healthy lunchboxes can improve their ability to learn.

She moved into the health industry two years ago after working as a PA and believes healthy food is the key to getting better results at school.

She said: "There are a small number of schools in the district that are unable to provide meals. This leaves it up to the parents and carers to provide nutritious lunch-boxes."

Working from her home near Ashton-under-Hill, Nicola assesses the diets of adults and children and is aware of problems that can arise when trying to get children to eat fruit.

"Some parents worry that their children will whinge about the changes made to their diets but if you work on the basis that 80 per cent of their diet will be the same and 20 percent will be healthy, this small percentage will be something they can cope with."

The nutrition found in healthy foods such as celery and carrots can promote mental, social and physical well being for pupils, leaving them with energy throughout the school day.

Recent studies by the Health Development Agency have found the high content of sugar and fat found in junk food can inject pupils with short bursts of energy but leaves them tired later, dropping concentration levels.

Nicola, who has a son aged three, added: "The amount of sugar found in most convenience foods means a child has only a short burst of energy whereas eating more organic food can release small amounts of energy which can build up the glucose levels."

She recommends all children should have protein such as meat or fish in their daily lunchbox and says encouraging good food habits lessens the risk of long-term illnesses like diabetes or obesity.