Your children can spend anything from 5 to 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, at school, depending at what stage they are in their education cycle. Given how much time your kids spend at school, they’ll also be consuming as much as 1/3 of their daily nutrition during their time at school too. Packing a healthy lunch box is therefore very important.
However, parents live incredibly busy, unpredictable lives so it can often be a very quick scramble to put together a lunch box for the next day at school. If you want to ensure you put together a balanced lunch for your child, the core aim is to try to include foods from each of the 5 five core groups:
1. Vegetables
Vegetables should be a daily feature in a child’s lunchbox – although it can be difficult to convince little ones to eat them. Try to find some vegetables from the list of options below that your child might enjoy – pair the vegetables with dips, add to sandwiches or include a container of mixed vegetables.
- whole small carrots/carrot sticks
- cherry tomatoes
- whole green beans
- snow peas
- sticks of cucumber
- celery sticks
- mushrooms
- peas in the pod
- corn on the cob
- canned corn with no added salt
- grilled or roasted vegetables
- grated carrot, zucchini or beetroot
2. Fruit
Try to include at least one serving of fruit in your child’s lunch box each day. Opt for fresh fruit over dried fruits, whether served whole, in slices or as a puree. Children often embrace fruit a little more willingly than they do vegetables however it’s important to vary their lunchbox options. The following fruits are a great lunchbox addition:
- apples - whole or cut into slices
- bananas
- mandarins
- a whole orange cut into quarters
- passion fruit cut in half (include a spoon)
- cubes of watermelon
- chunks of pineapple
- mango cheeks or slices
- bunch of grapes
- plums
- nectarines
- peaches
- apricot
- a mixture of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries
- cherries
- kiwi fruits (include a spoon)
- pear
3. Grains
Grains are rich in fibre and will help keep children stay energised during what can be a long day at school. The easiest way to include grains is by adding a sandwich to the lunchbox, which includes some vegetables, dairy or protein fillings. It’s important to try to stick to wholegrain breads or rolls such as wholemeal, multigrain, rye, sourdough, pita, flat, corn, soy and linseed or herb breads as these are more nutritious.
Consider alternating your grain options, sometimes including a sandwich, bagel or roll in a child’s lunchbox and other times swapping out for other tasty and nutritious grain based foods such as:
- pasta salads
- rice salads
- noodle dishes
- crackers
- crispbreads
- rice paper rolls
- vegetable bake
4. Dairy
Children need dairy foods as they are rich in key nutrients like calcium and magnesium, which aid their growth and development. Try to include one dairy option in their lunchbox each day:
- cheese slices or sticks
- natural or fruit yoghurt
- frozen yoghurt
- milk
If your child is allergic or intolerant of dairy products, swap out the above options for:
- soy yoghurts
- calcium fortified rice or soy drinks
5. Proteins
When preparing your child’s lunchbox, make a point to include one rich source of protein each day. Protein rich foods can feature as a dip, sandwich filler, spread or teamed with vegetables or grains.
- Cans of tuna or salmon
- sliced nut loaf
- hard boiled eggs or mashed egg dip
- falafel balls
- hummus or other bean dip
- add smoked salmon or sliced cold lean meats such as ham, turkey, chicken and roast beef to sandwiches
- baked beans and bean salad
- fish cakes, tuna or salmon patties
- peanut butter with no added salt or sugar or plain unsalted nuts – only if the school does not operate a “no nuts policy”.
Snacks
Whether you are preparing lunch for pre-schoolers or children in primary school, you’ll need to consider adding some snacks for morning or evening breaks. The most ideal snack ideas include fresh fruit, stewed fruit in natural juice, dried fruit, muesli, yoghurt, pieces of cheese, fruit bread, rice cakes, pikelets and wholegrain crackers.
If you are a keen baker, you could also whip up some healthy snacks by making your own healthy muffins or cakes using vegetables or fruit. A delicious slice of homemade carrot cake, for example, would make for a very tasty yet nutritious snack.
Special treats
As a rule, try to keep snack food bars, sweet biscuits, flavoured or coated popcorn and savoury biscuits and chips out of the lunch box. They are certainly a practical convenient solution for lunch boxes but offer little nutritional value so should be kept for special occasions.
We hope this guide has provided you with lots of inspiration for filling your child’s lunchbox with nutritious yet tasty foods and ensure you have the peace of mind that your kids are eating healthy while at school.