Healthy lunch-box ideas – Back to school
Some healthy lunch-box ideas for the new school year
It is 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 yogurt 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 it to school, just pop it in a resealable plastic bag or small container.
• If whole fruit is included in the lunch box, ensure it is a suitable size for a child to easily hold in their hand and eat.
• If possible, peel and cut fruit and when including grapes and watermelon, ensure it is the seedless varieties.
• To prevent a sandwich from becoming soggy, do not place tomato directly onto to the bread. Place it between the fillings.
• 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, it is 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.
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