It’s Healthy Lunch Box Week!
With school returning this week, we want to celebrate and support your family and healthy lunch box week with these family-friendly, fun and easy lunch box tips! We’ve also included a healthy lunch box template, to take the fuss out of school lunches.
Did you know that children eat ~30% of their daily food intake while at school?1
Packing a healthy lunchbox can help support children’s learning and development, as well as teaching them about healthy food habits.
Here are our top 6 tips for packing a lunch box that everyone will enjoy, and that supports children with learning, focussing, and growing! Pop the “Building a Healthy Lunchbox” picture on your fridge to encourage a conversation around favourite lunch box foods, and to get the whole family involved with learning healthy habits!
- Include Fruit
Most Australian primary schools implement a morning fruit break! Having a piece of fruit to snack on can provide a boost of energy to keep them focused and alert until their next break. Sometimes children can struggle with fruits, as they can have different tastes or textures each time they’re eaten. For example, out of season strawberries!
Here are some ways to make fruit fun, and more likely to be eaten:
- Include a rainbow of fruits
- Choose fresh, seasonal fruits, making sure they are ripe
- Adding lemon juice over cut apples to keep them fresh
- Pack favourite fruit
- Pack Vegetables
Including veggies somewhere in the lunchbox helps to make sure children are getting the right nutrients to support their growth and development. Vegetables can often be high in fibre, so they help to keep us feeling full after eating a meal and keep our bowel motions regular.
This might include:
- Salad veggies on a sandwich or wrap
- Veggie sticks and dip
- Veggies in leftovers
- Homemade sweet potato/potato chips
- Choose Wholegrains
Sandwiches are often a big part of the school lunchbox! They’re great for go-getters who need to eat fast and go play. Choosing wholegrain bread for sandwiches provides your little one with a great source of energy, carbohydrates, fibre and is high in vitamins and minerals! Our brains need the carbohydrates from wholegrains as a source of energy. They will also help keep tummies full and brains focused until home-time!
Other ways to include wholegrains:
- Rice salads/dishes
- Quinoa
- Pasta
- Pop in some Protein
Protein is essential for growth, development, and repair! Like wholegrains, protein keeps us full so that we can focus on learning! Most people think of protein in lunch boxes as the ham on the sandwich. But there are so many other ways to include protein:
- Shredded chicken breast on sandwich/in salad
- Canned tuna or salmon in spring water
- Hard boiled eggs
- Chickpeas/beans or lentils – think Mexican bean + rice dish!
- Tofu or tempeh
- Packing leftovers
Avoiding deli meats can be beneficial long-term, as they are higher in saturated fats and sodium (salt), which can lead to us feeling tired and thirsty, not ideal for learning. Over the long-term, saturated fats and sodium are linked with an increased risk of heart disease and high cholesterol.
- Dairy and alternatives
Dairy/alternatives provide a boost of energy, healthy fats, and extra protein to keep us going! Dairy is also high in calcium, which helps to build and maintain strong bones. Not only this, but our hearts and nervous system also need calcium for optimal functioning.
Try out these:
- Yoghurt cups
- Dairy or alternative poppers
- Cheese on sandwiches or slices
- Don’t forget to pack a bottle!
It is so important to keep hydrated throughout the day! Packing a water bottle to sip on can help restore fluids lost through regular bodily processes as well as exercise and play! Water also plays a role in temperature regulation and keeping us cool on warmer days!
If you/your child forgets or struggles to drink water, try these tips:
- A water bottle with time-reminders down the side
- Adding fruit to water for extra flavour
- Adding lemon or lime
- Try ice water!
Here is to healthy lunchbox week! We wish you all the best with the new school year and can’t wait to hear all about it! For further information, or to book in for an appointment with our Dietitian or Food School & Social Group, call us on 5293 7612 or email us at hello@zoealliedhealth.com.au.