Lunchbox Ideas

Children who eat well during the school day are more likely to concentrate better at school and get the nutrition they need for good health and development.

Including nutritious as well as interesting foods in children's lunchboxes can be a challenge. Try to be creative and offer a wide variety of different foods each day following the Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents as a guide.

Family and carers play an important role in influencing the food choices of children and healthy eating habits need to involve the whole family. Try to involve children in shopping and teaching them to prepare easy healthy meals.

Here are some great ideas to help you and your child pack lunch:

• Cut sandwiches into shapes, such as fingers, squares, rolls or wraps filled with salad vegetables, cheese or cream cheese, egg, lean cold roasted meat or canned tuna.
• Make a mini crispy salad of lettuce, tomato, celery, capsicum, carrot, cucumber and cheese and pack with a bread roll, lavash bread or crackers.
• Cut chunks of fresh melon, apples and pineapple, grapes, cherries, dried fruit or individual tubs of fruit.
• Pack treats like plain popcorn, rice crackers or pretzels
• Yoghurts are a great snack if kept cool

It is also important to prepare and store lunch box foods safely. The following is a guide on how to store lunch boxes to keep them safe and appetising:

• A bottle of frozen water in your child's lunchbox will help keep lunch cool and provide an icy cold drink to enjoy in summer. Many new lunch boxes are made of insulating material, which can also help keep food safe.
• Containers and food wraps can help separate foods, prevent them from squashing and keep them fresh
• Make sure to clean containers thoroughly after use
• Throw out left over food that has not been eaten during the day

An Accredited Practising Dietitian can provide you with more suggestions on lunch box foods as well as food preparation and storage tips.