How to pack a healthy lunch box
How to build a healthy lunch box to fuel your children all day.
What makes a good lunch box? One where all the food is eaten & leaves the Child Nourished, energised and satisfied.
As a parent you want to know that your child has been nourished and well feed to thrive through their school or kinder day. By following these simple tips every time you pack their lunch box, it can certainly become achievable.
Lets take a look at what a good nutritious lunch box may include; Healthy fats to fuel and nourish, good sources of protein to stabilise, blood sugar levels, satisfy hunger and is also vital for healthy growing bodies and minds. Plus, it must contain plenty of opportunities for vegetables to be eaten whole and within foods.
Putting it all together
Most schools will have brain food in the morning, which usually means packing a piece of fruit or vegetable. Good examples include:
👍 Mini cucumbers/slices
👍 Carrot sticks
👍 Banana, Apples, pear, kiwi fruit
👍 Mixed berries
👍 Seasonal fruits
👍 Mini Fruit/vegetable kebab sticks 👍 Avocado; spread on wraps, sandwiches, 👍 Real butter; rich in fat soluble 👍 Coconut oil; Use in cooking, can be 👍 Fats from nuts and seeds.
Fats to fuel
Healthy fats fuel the body, curb the hunger for longer, boost the immune system and restore cognitive function. Healthy fats are essential in our diet and include valuable vitamins such as A, D, E and K. Some examples of how to include healthy fats in a lunch box include:
- Avocado: spread on sandwiches & wraps, cut it half and eat with a spoon, as a dip for veggie sticks and rice crackers.
- Real Butter: rich in fat soluble vitamins A & K to help support a healthy immune. Grass fed butter is naturally high in omega 3 which helps support healthy brain and skin. (Not be confused with highly processed margarine).
- Coconut oil: use in cooking, can also be inter-changeable when used instead of butter. It has immune boosting and energy boosting qualities and increases brain and memory function.
- Fats from nuts and seeds.
If your school allows nuts. If not seeds are another great option. Pumpkin seeds are high in zinc. Both are great sources of protein.
Protein to stabilise
Proteins are the building blocks of the body, They contain essential amino acids, they stabilise blood sugar levels, increase energy, support growing bodies, and help you feel satisfied. Some examples of how to include healthy proteins in a lunch box include:
- Eggs: The perfect package, hard boiled, smashed in sandwiches; they are a great source of omega 3 too.
- Left over roast meats: Cheap, easy and ready to go, (Lamb, pork, chicken, salmon, tuna).
- Quality Dairy: A source of calcium and fats to fuel; full fat cheese cut into cubes or sticks, full fat Greek yogurt, Brie cheese.
- Chickpeas: A great meat alternative. Cheap, easy and can be made into a hummus or placed straight into the lunch box. It is a source of magnesium, calcium, iron, B vitamins and prebiotics.
Vegetables to Nourish
Always offer a variety of vegetables over fruit. Keep fruit servings to 1-2 servings a day as they are still a source of natural sugars and too much sugar keeps our taste buds attuned to sweet foods. A great why to get more vegetables into the lunch box is hide the vegetables in your cooking. Get creative, Chocolate & Zucchini cake anyone?
It's all in our food choices Getting the Children involved
So now we have the basics covered, how can we smoothly implement these ideas? First, thing first, have a plan; meal prep, shopping lists, getting the kids involved in the shopping and meal preparation. The more the children are involved in the process the more excited they will be to eat the food! Plan a dedicated day to prep, cook and freeze.
Having things on hand and ready to go in the freezer is key here. For those mornings when you are just poor on time, you just pull it out of the freezer and you are already half done!
Introducing new foods can be challenging and can take time. The food may have to be introduced many times before they are interested. Persevere, eventually they will try! Often getting inspiration from their friend’s lunch box and introducing new foods on the weekends can do the trick.
Things to consider when shopping and reading ingredient labels.
- Look for few and minimal ingredients
- Look for ingredients you can understand
- Ingredients are listed order so the fist ingredient means that's what the product is primarily based on. What is the first ingredient? If it's sugar then put it back on the shelf!
- Low in sugar. Understanding the sugar part can be tricky. Read the serving size. WHO recommends 6-9 teaspoon servings of sugar
a day, so to work out how many teaspoons of sugar per serving divide the serving amount by 4.2 (which is how many is in grams). So 21g divided by 4.2= 5 teaspoons.
- No added sugar labels can trick you. It doesn't always mean it's low in sugar. Also look for sodium amount and keep it low.
- Fats. When looking for types of fats they use for ingredients, you want to avoid trans-fat, canola oils and margarine's.
Still confused, stick to whole foods as much as possible and you can’t go wrong.
My name is Laura, I have been in the childcare industry for the past 18 years. I am also a qualified Nutritionist and my passion is helping people through one on one consultations reach their optimal health through food and nutrition on a holistic level.