Editor's choiceLocal newsNews

Healthy Lunch-box ideas

Some healthy lunch-box ideas for the new school year

It is almost the start of a new school year and for many moms, the start of a new headache – what to pack for lunch?

Busy kids need a healthy school lunch to boost their energy levels and help them to learn and concentrate.

Here are some tips to help you to pack healthy lunch-boxes without breaking a sweat. The most important thing to remember, is to keep food in the lunch-box cold to inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria. To achieve this, pack the school lunch in an insulated lunch-box – with a small freezer brick or water.

Top tips for a healthy lunch-box:

– Always include fresh fruit and vegetables when packing lunch and try to vary the selection to keep it interesting.

– Offer a variety of whole grain breads, rolls, pita- and flat breads.

– Instead of using butter or margarine make avocado spread.

– Use reduced fat dairy foods – cheese and yoghurt are ideal.

– Kids need a serving of protein at lunchtime, so be sure to include some lean meat, egg, peanut butter, chickpeas or tuna.

– Limit juice by rather including a bottle of water.

Helpful tips for adding fresh fruit and vegetables to lunch-boxes:

– Fruit salad is the ideal lunch-box solution, as kids like to eat fresh fruit cut in ready-to-eat pieces. Fruit salad is easy to eat, colourful and bursting with vitamins.

– To vary the flavour, texture and colour, offer a different seasonal fruit every day.

– For summer or sport days, freeze the fruits and when you send them to school, just pop them in a resealable plastic bag or small container.

– If whole fruit is included in the lunch-box, ensure it is a suitable size for children to easily hold in their hands and eat.

– If possible, peel and cut fruit and when including grapes and watermelon, ensure they’re the seedless varieties.

– To prevent bread from becoming soggy when tomato is added to sandwiches, do not place it directly on the bread – place it between the fillings instead.

– When using avocado, mash or drizzle with some lemon or lime juice to prevent discolouring.

– Mild-tasting and crunchy lettuce varieties like Iceberg and Oak leaf, and Lebanese cucumbers are ideal for kids.

– Roast vegetables are not only rich in antioxidants and loaded with natural sweetness, they’re ideal for sandwiches, wraps or roll fillings.

– To make salads or salad sandwich fillings interesting, use a range of vegetables like grated carrot, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado and cucumber.

– For sandwich fillings – use a vegetable peeler to slice cucumber into thin ribbons.

Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at roodepoortrecord@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.

For free daily local news on the West Rand, also visit our sister newspaper websites Randfontein HeraldKrugersdorp News and Get It Joburg West Magazine

Remember to visit our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages to let your voice be heard!

Related Articles

Back to top button