13 Nutritional Ideas for
Your Kids Lunchbox
by Helen Thompson
With the increased levels of childhood obesity in Western countries, the subject of nutritional content in kid's lunches is a regular topic of conversation. Not surprisingly, much of the focus is on fast foods and sweets which have traditionally been sold in school tuckshops etc.
Providing your kids with healthy, nutritional lunches that they will eat can be quite a challenge. The "if it is good for you then it must be boring" mentality makes this particularly difficult and you have favorites such as lollies, sweets and fizzy drinks to compete with. The fast food chains with their enormous advertising budgets are also always seeking new ways to target your children and spread their brand awareness.
Don't despair! It can be done but requires forward planning and imagination and I have come up with a few ideas to get you started. At first your child may be fussy, but with persistence you'll get there in the end. When it comes to teaching good habits with children, I am a great believer in "preach what you teach", so ensure that your children see you eating healthy alternatives. When you go shopping, talk to them about what is healthy and encourage them to choose some items for themselves.
Here are 13 ideas to get you started...
Instead of packing...
- High fat savory biscuits, try
- Plain dry crackers, rice cakes, corn thins or Scottish oatcakes.*
- Raw carrots or celery cut into small pieces are also an excellent choice.
- Pies, pastry or sausage rolls, try
- Meat or cheese sandwiches or pasta with mince beef sauces (you can buy wheat/gluten free bread and pasta if required).
- Tuna and sweetcorn.
- Brown rice (or white) with tuna and roasted vegetables.
- Falafel (Lebanese delicacy made from chick peas).
- Processed meats such as frankfurters,salami or others, try
- Mince burger (home made), lentil burgers or bean burgers.
- Leftovers from main meals.
- Quality ham (e.g. Virginia) or cooked bacon, which has been grilled, and the fat/rind removed.
- Quality sausages that are mostly meat and not too fatty (gluten free sausages are a great alternative if you can find them).
- Biscuits (cream-filled or chocolate), try crackers or plain sweet biscuits, oatcakes, rice crackers or rice cakes.
You can make these interesting by having different topics like tuna and sweet corn or avocado (too much avocado may be regarded as fattening). - Chocolate/candy bars, try cheese cubes or dried fruit or yoghurt with fresh fruit to add to it.
Dairy products may make you feel bloated, so sheep's or goat's yogurt make a great alternative to cows yoghurt and have a different texture and taste. They are less bulky and easier to digest). - Muesli bars and breakfast bars (these often contain sugar and preservatives), try
- Fresh fruit such as grapes, melon cubes, oranges or mandarins/satsumas.
- Nut muesli bars (check the ingredients first though).
- Cordial or fizzy (carbonated) drinks, try water. This is the best option to add to any lunch box. Dairy, soy or rice milk are also good alternatives.
- Chocolate spreads, try
- Sesame seed spread (tahini).
- Humous.
- Dip such as yoghurt, avocado or one that you make yourself, dipping for example, pitta bread or cut up vegetables.
- Lollies / sweets, try
- Dried fruit, nuts and raisins.
- Make a nibbles bag with a variety of nuts and dried fruit and add sesame, pumpkin and sunflower seeds.
- Chips / crisps or hot chips, try
- Hot homemade soups with the addition of sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds.
- Pecan nuts, almonds and flax seed are all great snacks
as they are high in essential fatty acids and are best
eaten raw (cooking them can destroy the essential fatty
acid component).
The best way to encourage your children to eat these is to add them to soups as an alternative to croutons and to sprinkle them on yoghurt and cereal/muesli in the morning.
- Fruit leather straps, try
- If you have your own fruit drier, then you can dry the fruit yourself.
- Fresh fruit, plain dried fruit e.g. sultanas, dried apricots, mixed nuts, 100% fruit bars.
- Donuts, try
- Raisin bread (you can buy wheat free raisin bread if required).
- Muffins.
- Flapjacks.
- Scottish oatcakes* with a banana, tuna or sweetcorn.
- Potato crisps, corn chips, or similar snack food, try rice crackers, or rice cakes with a homemade dip or
spread (or a bought one as long as it has a low fat content).
* Scottish oatcakes are widely available throughout the UK and from specialist stores in Australia and the USA. There are a number of UK brands that export including Nairns, Walkers and Pattersons.