By Dietitian Courtney Bates
It’s that time again! Who’s back packing lunchboxes for school? Did you know kids eat at least ⅓ of their food from their lunchbox? So, a healthy lunchbox which can nourish them through the day is very important.
My top tips for a healthy lunch box:
Include all 5 different food groups:
- Breads and cereals such as wholegrain breads, wraps or crackers. These are the main energy source for kids. Choose low glycaemic index (GI) options which will give them slowly released energy.
- Dairy such as some tasty cheese or a pouch yoghurt. Choose no added sugar yoghurts.
- Proteins such as grilled chicken, tuna, boiled eggs, legumes or lentils. I love using hummus as a high protein spread or including some legumes such as chickpea snacks.
- Vegetables and fruits are a must! Most schools have ‘crunch and sip’ or similar which encourages kids to have their veggies and/or fruit before recess.
- A ‘fun’ snack. The Grumpy Bums range of muffins and cookies are the perfect snack as they contain low GI carbohydrates and have no added sugar.
Use a bento box:
- Divided sections to encourage different food groups
- Encourages good portion sizes
- Kids are more likely to eat more!
Include a rainbow of colours:
- This ensures lots of different antioxidants from different colours fruits and veggies
- Plus, colours make lunch boxes fun!
An example lunchbox:
-
Wholegrain vegemite sandwich
-
Carrot and cucumber sticks with hummus dip
-
Grumpy Bums apple cinnamon muffin
-
Handful Grapes
-
Boiled egg
-
Yoghurt pouch with no added sugar
