HEALTHY SCHOOL LUNCH BOXES

School lunchbox ideas that will definitely be enjoyed.

Did you know that children will eat roughly a third of their daily food intake while they are at school? This is a decent portion of their daily nutrients and core food groups. So, even more reason to embrace the new school semester with a few lunchbox tricks up your sleeve. Filling kid’s lunchboxes with nourishing choices will allow for improved concentration and energy at school, while also building valuable skills in food choices and meal composition. To ease some of the lunchbox pressure, aim to pack a balance of foods and snacks from the following core food groups by adding these suggestions to the shopping list.

Vegetables

Despite being one of the most challenging food groups for children, vegetablebased options will provide important nutrients and fibre for general health, immunity and digestive support. Rather than offering bland or plain vegetables, aim to incorporate vegetables as part of food combinations that provide variety and appeal to little tastebuds:

• pre-prepare and freeze wholemeal vegetable muffins, slice or frittatas

• offer an incentive with any raw vegetables such as hummus or dip

• fill sandwiches and wraps with colourful and fresh salad vegetables

• experiment with containers of salad mixtures, including pasta salad, coleslaw, or Mexican bean salad

• roast chickpeas in bulk for a crunchy snack.

Fruit

Fortunately, many schools are now providing a ‘fruit break’ or ‘brain snack’ that encourage children to fuel their body with fresh fruit. This provides a great opportunity for vitamins and minerals such as vitamin C and B vitamins that support energy levels and prevent illness. To ensure these fruits don’t end up in the bin, trial a combination of textures:

• fresh whole fruit (apples, mandarins with easy to remove skin)

• fruit salad or mixed fruit

• fruit pieces or chunks (pineapple chunks, grapes, watermelon)

• fruit that can be eaten with a spoon (kiwifruit or passionfruit halves).

It can also be helpful to involve your children in choosing fruits to enhance their autonomy and independence. Allow your child to choose between two fruit options when packing their lunchbox or browsing the supermarket.

Wholegrains, breads and cereals

Wholegrains and carbohydrates will fuel our children for the school day and are a source of insoluble fibre for digestive

School lunchbox ideas that will definitely be eaten.

health. To keep things more interesting than repeats of the humble sandwich, trial a swap for other wholegrain options such as wraps, pita bread, bread rolls, rice paper rolls, sushi, wholegrain crackers, rice cakes or wholemeal English muffins. On occasions, keep snacks interesting by trying homemade fruit loaf or muffins prepared with wholemeal flour. In fact, involving your children in the kitchen to help prepare these foods will enhance their relationship with nutrition, increase feeding skills and will improve the likelihood that the food gets eaten.

Dairy foods

It’s worthwhile stocking up on ice bricks and insulated lunchboxes to ensure your children can benefit from the protein, calcium and vitamin D provided by dairy products. Easy pre-packaged options include milk poppers, natural yoghurt and cheese cubes or slices. For other options, try cottage cheese or ricotta on crackers, tzatziki or yoghurt-based dip, or fruit smoothies after school.

Meat and protein alternatives

Meat and protein foods will support growth and development and provide important minerals such as iron and zinc. Lean deli meats such as ham, chicken or silverside are great sandwich fillers, which may progress to less conventional options that encourage food variety including:

• egg based frittatas, quiches or slices

• tinned fish, beans or chickpeas

• hommous dip

• lentil patties, falafel balls or fish patties

• homemade nut bars or nut balls (check with your school’s nut policy first).

Let’s start the semester well with a balance of nourishing, appealing lunchbox foods that will fuel little bodies. Trial one new suggestion per week to keep up with food variety and engage your children in eating healthy foods. For any concerns about fussy eaters, difficulty with food groups or balancing important nutrients, work alongside your local paediatric Accredited Practising Dietitian for specific suggestions and strategies.