A Healthy Packed Lunch

Children are encouraged to bring a healthy packed lunch in a named lunch box or bag.  Whilst it is the parents’ choice as to what they put in their children’s lunch box, we do encourage a healthy mix and we do not allow children to eat sweets, full-sized chocolate bars or drink fizzy drinks as part of their lunch. 

Getting ideas and inspiration for what to include in your child’s lunchbox can be a difficult task.  Healthy eating is simply about getting a better balance and eating a wide variety of foods.  All foods provide energy and nutrients and it is achieving the correct intake of those nutrients that is important for health.  Variety is the key to a healthy diet, so try not to offer the same foods on consecutive days.  By including a broad range of different foods, a much wider variety of nutrients will be eaten.  The ‘Healthier Lunchbox Checklist’ helps to explain what ‘a healthy mix’ means in terms of getting a good balanced meal in a lunchbox.

Healthier Lunchbox Checklist:

Have you included…?

• A good portion of starchy food: e.g.  thick wholemeal bread, chapatti, pitta pocket, pasta or rice salad?
• Plenty of fruit and vegetables: e.g. an apple, a satsuma, handful of cherry tomatoes or carrot sticks, mini-can of fruit chunks or small box of raisins?
• A portion of milk or dairy food: e.g. individual cheese portion or pot of yogurt?
• A portion of lean meat, fish or alternative: e.g. ham, chicken, beef, tuna, egg, hummus or bean/lentil salad?
• A drink: e.g fruit juice, milk or water.

The following links contain some useful information on healthy packed lunches:

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/childhealth6-15/Pages/Lighterlunchboxes.aspx

http://www.nhs.uk/Change4Life/Pages/healthy-lunchbox-picnic.aspx