Packed lunches

They’ll love…not trade!

If your child is taking packed lunches to school, you might find that coming up with healthy ideas they’ll enjoy is a challenge! So here’s some help and inspiration…

As an easy guide to getting the lunchbox balance right, include at least one item from each of the four main food groups, and save any fatty and sugary foods for an occasional treat:

• Potatoes, bread, rice, pasta & other starchy carbohydrates
• Beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins
• Fruit and vegetables
• Milk and dairy foods

It’s a good idea to vary what you put in your child’s lunchbox – that way their lunches will be more interesting and they’ll be getting a wider selection of nutrients. But don’t try too many new foods in the first few weeks of starting school – until they’ve had time to settle in, stick to things you know they’ll enjoy.

Drinks

Swap high–sugar fizzy drinks and squashes for unsweetened fruit juice, smoothies, still or fizzy bottled water, milk (flavoured or plain) and yogurt drinks.

A week of ideas

Monday

• Cheese and salad sandwich on wholegrain bread
• Grapes and satsuma
• Slice of fruit bread
• Yogurt drink

Tuesday

• Mini pitta pocket with egg salad
• Bottle of fizzy water
• Individual can of fruit pieces in juice
• Fromage frais

Wednesday

• Tuna and sweetcorn pasta salad
• Fruit scone
• Apple
• Carton of milk

Thursday

• Chicken wrap
• Cherry tomatoes
• Yogurt
• Carton of unsweetened orange juice

Friday

• Bagel with cream cheese and tomato
• Banana
• Small box of raisins
• Carton of milk