Following on from our last blog on ‘Back to School Children’s Nutrition‘, this time we are looking at some healthy ideas for lunch boxes which can often be somewhat of a headache for busy mums and dads.
Take a look at some of our ideas and try them out this term.
Clik here to view.
Adding a piece of fruit or two such as an apple, banana, orange, or a handful of grapes to your child’s lunch box is just as easy as adding a bag of crisps or a chocolate bar and no more time consuming. Try testing out different fruits with your kids especially if yours are particularly fussy to see which ones are for them. Vary the fruits so that your kids don’t get bored and you can even experiment with trying some unusual fruits such as dragon fruit, passion fruit, star fruit, lychee or any other exotic fruits you can get your hands on. Kids love these as they are so unusual and intriguing to look at. Also give a thought to growing your own fruit and vegetables as your kids will be dying to try the fruits of their labour. Getting your kids to squeeze the juice out of fruit to make lollies or blending them to make a smoothie is also a very enjoyable way for your kids to get more of their 5 a day.
According to the School Foods Trust (1) packed lunches should include:
- Fruit and vegetables (at least one portion of each every day).
- Meat, fish or other non dairy protein (e.g. lentils, kidney beans, chickpeas, hummus, peanut butter) every day.
- Oily fish at least once every three weeks.
- A starchy food such as bread, pasta, rice, couscous, noodles, potatoes or other types of cereal every day.
- Dairy such as milk, cheese, yoghurt, fromage frais, or custard every day.
- Drinks: non flavoured water, fruit juice, yoghurt or milk drinks, smoothies.
- No snacks such as crisps. Instead nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruit (with no added salt, sugar or fat.) are acceptable. Cakes and biscuits are to be limited and preferred only as part of a balanced meal.
- No processed items such as dippers and cheese strings etc.
Using this method will help you to come up with ideas for your child’s lunch boxes. For example you could try different salads such as pasta salad or potato salads with fish (especially oily fish like salmon or mackerel to provide fatty acids which are great for brain function, concentration and learning) or chicken or tinned fish for those wishing for the quick and easy. Alternatively, beans such as pinto or kidney beans make a great addition to salads and provide both protein and fibre. Mixing with a little light salad cream or olive oil and balsamic vinegar, makes for a really tasty and easy lunch. You could even just use some of the left over pasta (especially wholemeal for balanced blood sugar levels) or potatoes from dinner the day before to make the lunches, and even make enough for your lunch too. Add an apple (for fibre, vitamin C and the antioxidant quercetin known to benefit hayfever and lower health risks) and a yoghurt (for dairy to help build strong bones and teeth) to the box and your good to go.
Also, if it has to be a sandwich, then mix it up a bit, add some salad, and go for different types of bread such as pitta, wraps and baguettes, and always go for wholemeal seeded rather than white bread to ensure blood sugar levels are balanced and kids are fuller for longer. The fibre content will also ensure that our kid’s digestive systems are functioning correctly and they are warding off risks of illnesses and diseases.
Clik here to view.
As kids love to use their hands when they are eating, including dips such as hummus or cottage cheese are fun additions and also a healthy option as they contains lots of vitamins, minerals and amino acids. Include some vegetables such as chopped carrots (for vitamin A, providing benefits to eyes and skin) and peppers (for vitamin C and beta carotene), or even breadsticks or crackers for dipping and they will have a great time at lunch.
Food enjoyment is an important part of eating especially for children therefore it is worth experimenting with different methods. Making the foods look appealing or adding a sauce or a dip to the dish are great ways to introduce a new food to their diet. Once they’ve eaten the particular food a few times, they generally start to enjoy it and you never know you may find them asking for it in their packed lunches rather than you suggesting it to them.
Processed foods such as packaged ready meats, chocolate, crisps, biscuits and cakes should be kept to a minimum throughout the whole family for consistency. Also, remember that you as a parent are a role model, so try to eat healthy foods in front of them so they can see how much you enjoy them (even if you may not).
It may be a time consuming process getting your child to try and enjoy eating healthy foods but it is definitely worth it for the wide range of health benefits provided.
Written by Lauren Foster
References
1. School Foods Trust (2008) Oldfield Park Infants’ School Packed Lunch Policy and Guidelines (Online):
2. Image courtesy of healingdream.
3. Image courtesy of Ambro.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
The post Back To School – Part 2- Healthy Lunch Boxes & Nutritious Snacks appeared first on bodykind.