Back to school fuel
Between sorting uniforms, sewing labels into jumpers and getting to grips with book lists, back to school also means getting lunch boxes in order. Here Dietitian and mum-of-three Mary Carmody reveals why keeping it simple is key
With back to school just around the corner, it’s time to get to grips with the daily grind of making up lunch boxes.
For most parents, convenience is key in a survey of 250 mums conducted by the Irish Mail on Sunday, 30 per cent of parents revealed they prepare school lunches the night before to avoid rushing in the morning.
But how can they also ensure kids are getting the right nutrients and nourishment they need to keep them going throughout the day?
‘One in five teachers have seen an increase in children coming to school hungry but I think the parents have to take ownership,’ says Mary Carmody, a Dietitian and mum-of-three based in Cork who specialises in corporate nutrition and food intolerance testing.
‘With cold and flu season coming, it’s important to have their immune system boosted, plus when they’re learning, they have to have protein and Omega 3s to keep them energised throughout the day. It’s also very important to balance blood sugars by eating regularly.’
Her advice? Keep it real, raw, natural and unprocessed. ‘You have to be organised and put time into it. It’s education on behalf of the parents – you’ve to live it and practise it all the time. Everyone in the family has to be doing it for it to work.’
MARY’S TRIEDAND-TESTED NUTRITION TIPS: KEEP IT SIMPLE
What tends to work for me is little pieces of different foods. Some seasonal fruit (at the moment it could be some berries or cherries) and wholemeal brown bread made into a small sandwich.
PUMP UP THE PROTEIN
Protein is needed for growth and repair. Often when children are hungry, it’s because they aren’t eating enough protein to fill them up. Chicken cut up very thinly, sliced turkey or good quality ham cut at the meat counter with some spinach, onion and a scraping of mayonnaise works well in sandwiches.
NO BREAD? NO PROBLEM
Put three oat cakes in one section of the lunchbox with homemade hummus. It’s so easy to make and you include carrot sticks or peppers with that.
INCLUDE GOOD FATS
You’re looking for the nut butters, olives and seeds. You can also make healthy pancakes
SNACK ATTACK
We toast up seeds, like pumpkin seeds on the frying pan and mix them with Tamari soy sauce. If you toast them ahead of time and put them in little containers, you can use them over a couple of days.
ALWAYS ADD WATER
We don’t do fizzy drinks and the only juice I use is one I can water down– but nothing with aspartame or artificial sweetener.
TRY HEALTHY TREATS
Some 45 per cent of people have a food intolerance at some stage so my kids love to make healthy treats like brownies made from kidney beans. Quinoa pops and brown rice pops from a health food shop are also great.
REWARD PICKY EATERS
My five-year-old son is a picky eater and I find reward charts are great for him. If he wants to go to the cinema or go to a play zone, he needs to get his stars for eating his food. We try and encourage him to try different foods but if it’s a school day, we might try chocolate protein powder mixed up with a little spinach and tell him it’ll give him more energy for his GAA.