During a long day at school, little brains work overtime concentrating on learning, playing and all the joys of youth. To keep them full of energy all day, your children need a healthy lunchbox full of snacks and a balanced lunch.
Every parent wants to do what’s best for their child but as life gets busy, packing a nutritious lunch (for both the children and parents!) can be forgotten in the rush to get everyone out the door on time.
However a healthy lunchbox doesn’t need to be time consuming or complicated. Let’s take a fresh look at lunchboxes and what should – and shouldn’t – go in them.
Essential lunchbox components
A balanced lunchbox contains a little from each of the main food groups.
Protein and dairy to help fill your kids up, keeping them feeling satisfied for longer; carbohydrates to provide energy for running, thinking and playing; and plenty of fruits and vegetables to provide fibre and energy. Also encourage your children to stay well-hydrated by providing easily accessible drinks – water and milk make good choices.
Try some of these tasty lunchbox ideas:
- Cheese slices or cubes
- Hard boiled eggs
- Wholemeal sandwiches with lean meat and salad
- Grilled chicken pieces
- Dried fruit
- Fresh fruit salad
- Pasta salad with low-fat dressing
- Wraps filled with lean meat and salad
- Crackers and cheese
- Whole fruit, such as bananas, strawberries, watermelon, kiwi fruit, pears
- Fruit salad tubs
- Vegetable sticks, such as red capsicum, carrot, celery, baby corn
- Salads with low-fat dressings – add tuna, salmon or cold meat slices for a more filling lunch
- Salsa or hummus, with vegetable sticks or crackers
- Milk, flavoured (low-sugar) or plain
- Yoghurt tubs
Helpful tips to make life simpler
- Use an insulated bag or add a frozen drink or ice pack to your child’s lunchbox to keep food cool and safe from harmful bacteria.
- Involve your child when packing their lunchbox. They’re more likely to eat their lunch if they’ve been involved in choosing what’s packed.
- Save precious time in the mornings by pre-packing handfuls of dried fruits, crackers and other healthy snacks in small zip-lock bags – these are so easy to pop into lunchboxes.
- Present foods in an interesting shape or in individual containers to make everyday foods seem more appealing.
- If time is tight in the mornings, try making lunches the night before and storing in the fridge to grab-and-go.
- Avoid sugar-laden, high-fat snacks. Often cleverly disguised as “healthy” snacks, these foods contribute little to your child’s nutritional needs – eg. some protein bars.
- Treats, such as chips, chocolate and lollies, are okay on occasion, but aim for healthier treats such as frozen grapes, yoghurt, dried fruits, ‘ants on a log’ (celery filled with cream cheese topped with currants) and high-fibre muffins on a daily basis.
- If your school has a nut-free policy, protect the children with life-threatening nut allergies and avoid packing peanuts, walnuts, Nutella, peanut butter, and any other nut products in lunchboxes.