Healthy Lunchbox Ideas
Eating healthily at school
The chances are you have spent hours (make that weeks!), slaving over a hot stove ensuring your child got off to a good nutritional start in life. Whether you were pureeing home-grown veg, withholding squash until you could bear the pressure no more, or totting up their 'five a day', you no doubt worry that any good work could be about to be undone when they start school, if the media furore surrounding school lunches is anything to go by.
Government regulations state that where schools provide lunches they must contain at least the following:
- One portion of meat, fish or other protein source
- One portion of a starchy food, such as bread, pasta or rice
- One portion of fruit and one portion of vegetables
- One portion of milk or a dairy item
However, it seems that this is not always adhered to, and even if it is, it's not always in a format your own child will happily devour. As such, an increasing number of parents are taking matters into their own hands and packing a lunch box they know their child will eat.
Ticking all the boxes
To ensure you are providing a nutritionally balanced healthy alternative, the above guidelines are still worth following. So how can you aim to meet them without falling into the soggy sandwich trap?
The first two (protein in the form of meat, fish or another source, and starch) are relatively simple and should probably form the bulk of the lunchbox. Ideas to consider include:
- Homemade pizza - use a wholemeal base and top with tomato purée (this actually counts towards their five a day), their favourite cheese and a selection of healthy toppings e.g. tuna, chicken, ham, peppers, mushrooms, onions, courgettes...
- Pasta salads – cold pasta (cooked, obviously!) with chicken and sweetcorn; mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and basil or tuna, cheese and pesto sauce
- Brown rice salads - for the ultimate brain boosting recipe try stirring in lightly fried spring onion and mackerel fillet (mackerel is a great source of Eicosapentaenoic acid - EPA and Docosahexaenoic acid DHA, omega 3 fatty acids that have been identified as crucial for brain function and development in children)
- Couscous – with feta cheese and sundried tomatoes
- Wholemeal pitta – stuffed with egg or tuna and low-fat mayonnaise
The beauty of all of the above – apart from tantalising the taste-buds – is that they can generally be made the night before and just kept ready in the fridge.
Don't forget, you can up the health (and taste) factor by:
- Using granary or wholemeal bread, pittas, bagels or small baguettes, rather than overly processed nutritionally inferior white sliced bread
- Spreading butter or margarine thinly and going easy on the fatty mayonnaise
- Always adding a bit of salad
A portion of fruit or vegetable:
Again, try to think beyond the token apple if you want to inject a little variety (and different vitamins) into this part of their lunchbox… How about:
- A little pot of fresh fruit salad. Think orange segments, melon, kiwi, mango, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries etc.
- Fruit kebabs – using segments of watermelon, strawberry, grapes etc
- Carrot or pepper sticks
- Low sugar jelly with fresh fruit set inside (tip – avoid adding fruits such as pineapple and kiwi which can affect the setting process)
- A fruit smoothie
One portion of milk or another dairy item:
- If plain milk doesn't make the grade, how about flavouring it? You can avoid the E numbers associated with some ready-made flavoured milks by simply adding your own ingredients... think banana, strawberries, cocoa or even coffee. Adding malt can change the flavour entirely too.
- Interesting yoghurts – look for those with fruit or other interesting bits that can be added 'on the spot' for novelty value. Alternatively add your own – blueberries or honey always works well.
- While cheddar is undoubtedly the nation's favourite, encourage your child to be more adventurous with an unusual cheese choice. Most supermarkets now sell mini-selection packs – so encourage them to try new flavours such as smoked cheese, mild blue cheeses or even Greek cheeses such as halloumi and feta.
Finally, don’t let them dehydrate. Not only is this unhealthy but it can lead to tiredness and lack of concentration. Avoid fizzy drinks or sugar-laden squashes. Water is the best re-hydrator, or you could offer a fresh fruit smoothie or juice – another way to boost their 'five a day'.
Last but not least, spare a thought for presentation. Few children’s taste buds will be tickled by a warm, sweaty lunchbox bearing a soggy sandwich and that smell… (you must remember that smell?). There are lots of funky insulated lunch boxes and bags around now – just pop in a mini cool-pack and send them on their way, safe in the knowledge that you have done your best to give them a healthy lunch.
