One of the things most parents dread when kids are heading back to school is the daily chore of making school lunches once again. The arguments and cajoling to eat it. The social media posts to make us all feel inadequate and the head wrecking of what to add each day to keep them interested, for it all to come home uneaten!
Why what’s in their lunchbox matters?
While it’s a chore we do not relish, it provides an opportunity to get nutrition in and help support their:
- steady growth and development
- immune system for the school year ahead
- reduced risk of chronic disease later in life
A school lunch could provide as much as 30% of the child’s daily energy and nutrient needs. This can be important in helping maintain the energy and the nutrients needed. Nutrition can also affect a child’s behaviour and learning in several ways, including concentration, reasoning, cognitive ability and behaviour.
What to put in the lunch box?
The question we all struggle with is what to put in the lunch box, to provide the energy and nutritional support they will need during the day.
Well, an approach is to try and focus on the food groups outlined in The Food Pyramid, adding in:
- A carbohydrate source – provides a source of energy to fuel their learning and activities.
- A source of protein – to help keep them full and support their growth.
- Fruit and vegetable options – as well as providing colour and help make the lunch box more appealing, they also provide important fibre and micronutrients like vitamins and minerals.
- Fluid for hydration – important to support concentration, water is best.
Trying a variety of foods and colour, helps provide a variety of nutrients. Its important to be realistic too, by always add something that you know that they will eat, because eating something is better than nothing.
Be mindful of how we label food, all food is food and trying to avoid the labelling of good and bad food helps children develop a healthier relationship with food.
Remember to keep the lunch cool, do not store next to a radiator or in direct sunlight – freeze a carton of juice or yoghurt and place in with food to keep cool. Keep in the fridge until morning if made the night before.
How to engage your child in eating a healthy lunch?
Ultimately each child decides what they eat and how much of it, however the strongest predictor of dietary habits is based on what happens at home. So as a parent all we can do, is try to do is lead by example, make eating healthy a positive experience and set healthy habits for life.
Some tips to help develop a healthy habit include:
- Set boundaries in what is allowed and what is not – give them a choice from a small range of foods.
- Develop clear expectations – agree a lunch plan, certain foods for certain days .
- Understand what the child needs not wants – is it based on taste, texture, peers, or time provided to eat the lunch.
As parents we can only encourage them in trying new foods, hoping that more exposure will more likely lead to an increase in the variety of lunch options. Getting them involved can help make the task easier. Keep it simple and there is always an opportunity to get their nutritional needs met in the other meals at home.
Check the lunch box after school, before offering a snack. Keep an eye on what’s coming home and be ready to adapt. Lots of patience will be required, but avoid the social media picture lunches, none of us need that type of pressure!
Useful resources:
Safefood healthy Lunch boxes
HSE Healthy eating Guidelines
Safefood Healthy Lunch Recipes
References:
1. Food Pyramid – HSE – Available at: https://www.hse.ie/eng/about/who/healthwellbeing/our-priority-
programmes/heal/food-pyramid-images/food-pyramid-simple-version.pdf
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