Keeping their Energy Up - Thriving on Good Lunchbox Choices!
Schools back! Parents, it can be overwhelming considering all the different elements of one day in the life of your child, let alone the lunchbox! Despite all of the fantastic ideas out there, the main thing to keep in mind is to be fuelling your child for the rest of the day so they can play and learn with energy.
Practically, you can aim to pack about one-third of your child’s daily food in their lunchbox. Depending on your child’s age and level of activity, the amount may vary but for a rough guide, WA school canteens has a some great breakdown to assist when planning your child’s lunchbox, in the ‘Packed with Goodness’ booklet, linked below.
Children will always eat when they are hungry, so having lots of nutritious options is a great way to make sure their bellies won’t grumble. As for any age and stage, we are more likely to eat food that looks good and smells good.
As lunchbox packing parents or guardians, we can use the vibrancy of fruits and vegetables to our advantage & emphasise the bright colour of carrot sticks, the yellow of a banana or crispy green snow peas!
The lunchbox is also a great way to create good habits and expose your child to a variety of flavours so we’ve put together three lunchbox ideas below for extra inspiration now that you are settling into the school year.
Lunchbox One: Quick & Easy (no cooking)
cherry tomatoes
baby cucumber x 2
banana
sandwich with cheese, lettuce and a slice of meat
baked beans (canned)
crackers (your child’s favourite flavour)
Lunchbox Two: Some Extra Time
cut up strawberries and apple slices
home-made pin wheel
home-made muesli bar
boiled egg (wrapped, to protect the smell!)
homemade pizzas
hummus dip with vegetable sticks
frozen yoghurt overnight.
Lunchbox Three: Meal preparation required!
fruit salad/kebab
home-made pinwheels/scones/pikelets
pasta dish (cut into squares)
Mexican bean, lettuce, tomato and cheese salad
Vegetable slice
Falafel balls and hummus
Of course, in Western Australia, the hot summer days are something to keep in mind. Try freezing a drink bottle or placing an ice-block to keep the food cold. There are some amazing lunchboxes and containers out there with these functions built in, but even a simple box can do the trick.
When I was in school, my mum would also sometimes leave a little ‘love note’ in my lunchbox. If you have a moment for this, it’s a great way of creating a happy eating environment for your child, even from far away.
For even more information or inspiration you can check out:
- Healthy Lunchboxes | Crunch&Sip® (crunchandsip.com.au)
So the bell to end the school day has sounded. Look out for our Dietitian Ana's next blog post ‘School’s Out - Now What? Some After School Snack Ideas.’
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