10 tips to buildING a healthy lunch box

I have lots of conversations about lunch boxes: here is a great infographic from Nutrition Australia that summarises what should go in to the lunch box each day.

Basic guide:

• Lunch provides a third of daily requirements, so it’s important.
• Cover the 5 food groups to ensure that your child is receiving all the nutrients they need to play, grow and learn
• This will ensure they do not come home starving and over consume in the afternoon/evening.
• Do not spend your time cutting sandwiches into interesting shapes, it’s soul destroying and will not make a fussy eater less fussy.
• Present the same foods in different ways: e.g. cucumber slices or sticks or whole baby cucumbers
• Treat foods are just that and should appear sometimes, once every week or two. Consider where your child may be receiving other treats, do they need them in their lunches too?
• Involve the children in lunch prep – ask what they would like within reason e.g. carrot or cucumber
• Continue to send new foods, even if they come home at first. If they are not offered, your child will never try them
• If parts of lunch are uneaten, offer as an after-school snack before offering other foods
• This can be a tricky area to navigate for families, please come and see me for advice to help your kids achieve their best growth and learning potential through nutrition.

https://heas.health.vic.gov.au/schools/healthy-lunchboxes