Nutritionally Balanced Lunchbox for your kids… by Georgia Harding
LET’S GET SCHOOL READY…
You only have to look inside a school lunch box to understand that the industrialisation and commercialisation of our food chain, has a strong hold on this next generation. Pick-a-packet style lunches and peer pressure to conform to the processed food norm, can make convincing your kids to eat ‘real’ food at school a bit of a challenge.
However we can’t expect kids to learn and thrive socially at school if they are fuelled with highly processed, sugar loaded lunches. One third of our kids daily nutrient intake comes from lunch. Because children grow and develop at such a rapid rate, making every mouthful count at every meal is essential for their long term health and wellbeing.
So seeing as the school yes is about to commence, I though I would outline some basic guidelines and tips for packing a lunch box with real, nourishing and unprocessed foods to support your childs learning and development.
6 tips for packing a nutritionally balanced school lunch
- Pack a little fresh fruit – up to two small serves per day.
- Include unprocessed protein – this is what fills them up and provides them with the fuel they need to be able to concentrate, focus and run and play. Cooking extra meat at dinner and packing leftovers is a really easy way to include protein in their lunch box.
- Always include vegetables (cooked or raw) – as many as possible. The reason why vegetables are so good for us is because not only do they provide us with fibre and energy giving carbohydrates, they also represent a concentrated source of vitamins, minerals and beneficial phyto (plant) chemicals. All kids need to eat vegetables, even at lunch time. Persistence and lots of encouragement is essential to convert veggie haters to veggie lovers! I always say you’d never give up on teaching your kids to read or write, so please keep trying with the foods that nourish them. I have worked with many vegetable fussy children in my many years of clinical practice, none of which were hopeless cases!
- Dips are good for enticing some veggie fussy kids. Try pesto, hummus or even a little natural yogurt with tahini and sea salt mixed in.
- Make sandwiches only from ’real’ additive free breads, preferably wholegrain sourdough. Always fill them with a little protein and salad or vegetables.
- Only include low sugar, whole food treats. I have lots of recipes on my website which I tend to bake in bulk and freeze so they are easy to grab and go. I pack them frozen and they are defrosted to eat come morning tea.
Our kids health is so precious and it is our responsibility to do what we need to do, to make sure their nutritional needs are met, and school meals are no exception.
A recent Griffith University study found that most kids lunches are ‘falling well short’ nutritionally. Apart from being overladen with sugary and processed snacks, most are lacking in the vegetables department (over 70% contained no vegetables at all).
A Well Nourished Lunch Box is available NOW. It’s is a fully interactive, beautifully designed ebook that will guide you to pack your kids (and even yourself) a delicious, nutritious lunch, simply and easily.
You can purchase the Ebook straight from our site… https://awomanswellness.com/product/well-nourished-lunchbox-georgia-harding/
Your whole family will absolutely love the 150+ pages of recipes and healthy inspiration to suit all tastes and dietary requirements.
To find out more or to purchase A Well Nourished Lunch Box, head on over to http://www.wellnourished.com.au
By our much Loved Food Expert Georgia Harding.
