Children need to eat a variety of foods everyday to be healthy.
Parents can give children healthy lunch that tastes great and is good for them too. Many parents say one of the major problems with school lunches is when the children bring their lunch back home with them! Try to give the kids some choice about and if possible, get them involved with preparing the ‘healthier’ foods.
Basic steps for a healthy packed lunch
- Reduce the use of butter and margarine or try to replace it with low-fat mayonnaise or reduced-fat spread.
- Try to include salad in sandwiches.
- Do not make the same sandwich. Form the bread as pinwheels or even make sandwiches from both white and wholemeal flour and with different fillings to add colour and be more appealing. Try different fillers, which won’t be soggy and boring.
- Include a portion of fruit every day but be adventurous and make it quick and easy to eat. One may opt for a fruity milkshake.
- Make a salad box in the morning with fresh local vegetables. Use left-over food from the previous day dinner such as grilled turkey or chicken to give a better taste.
- Rice, pasta and couscous are great bases for salad, so try mixing in fruit, nuts, beans and vegetables for a tasty lunch alternative.
- Experiment with a variety of tarts, quiches and pies with vegetable, tuna or chicken stuffing.
- Avoid high-sugary foods. Try healthy cakes and biscuits with dried fruit and nuts.
- Always include a drink to keep hydrated. Water is the best drink. Stick to natural mineral water rather than the heavily-sweetened flavoured water.
Include the main nutrients in your child’s packed lunch
Protein: To keep children alert and help their growth and repair of body tissues and muscles.
- Make sandwiches using protein fillings such as chicken, egg, ham, tuna or cheese or make salads such as chicken Caesar salad or tuna pasta salad.
Complex carbohydrates: For energy
- Choose wholemeal bread, pasta, banana or rice. Pasta or rice salads make a nice change from sandwiches.
Minerals (calcium): For growth, healthy bones and teeth
- Cheese, yoghurt, yoghurt drinks, smoothies and milkshakes are all excellent sources of calcium.
Vitamins: To keep various parts of the body healthy.
- Opt for some fruit kebabs or milkshakes. Salads can be added to sandwiches, pasta and rice salad and in wraps.
Examples of a healthy packed lunch
- Tuna pasta salad with sweet corn, tuna, peas and onions
- Sandwich with scramble egg, cherry tomatoes and sliced carrots
- Wholemeal banquette with tuna, tomatoes and cucumbers
- Chicken wrap stuffed with mushrooms, low-fat cheese and broccoli
- Couscous with roasted vegetables such as peppers, aubergines and marrows
- Rice with variety of beans and ricotta
- Wholemeal crackers served with bigilla, tuna paste, vegetables or cheeselets
- Spinach and ricotta pie
- Rice-stuffed tomatoes
Ms Farrugia is a B.Ed (Hons) student in Home Economics
More infornation may be obtained from www.mehfa.eu