It can be hard as a parent to know if your child is eating well at school. Perhaps your child complains most days that the school meal was “yuck”. Or you find yourself cleaning a warm, messy lunchbox each evening, with all the healthier bits left uneaten.
Eating well is important at every age, but in childhood we help our children develop a taste for a healthy diet that could last them a lifetime. Plus, young bodies need good nutrition, including vitamins and protein, to help support their healthy development.
Read on for our tips on lunchboxes, school meals and after-school snacks.
What should I put in a packed lunch?
- Protein (yoghurt, cheese, chicken, fish, beans, mushrooms – make sure these are low in sugar and salt, and meat is not processed)
- Carbohydrate (wholegrain rolls, pitta, wraps, rice, couscous – we have lots of sandwich ideas)
- Fruit and vegetables (read on for more tips on 5 A DAY)
- Add extra energy – rather than crisps or chocolate, add something sweet or savoury that will energise your child for the afternoon (low-sugar flapjacks, muffins, scones)
Top tips for lunch boxes
- MOST IMPORTANT: get your child involved! Let them choose from a few healthy options what they want in their lunch box. If they’ve had a say in what’s for lunch, they will be much more interested in eating or trying it. Try to have regular days (eg rolls on Monday, couscous on Tuesday, pasta on Wednesday) so your child knows what to expect.
- Keep it easy to eat. Children often only have 15–20 minutes to eat their lunch, or want to eat it quickly so they can go out and play.
- Cut sandwiches, fruit and veg into fun shapes with cookie cutters.
- Use an insulated lunch box or ice packs.
- Include fibre: wholewheat couscous/pasta, brown bread/rolls/pitta, wholegrain rice all have more fibre than the white options. If your child wants white, start by mixing in small amounts of brown and gradually increase.
- Mix up the fruit and veg to help your child eat at least 5 A DAY. For veg, try carrot and cucumber sticks, sugar snap peas, sliced peppers, small tomatoes, mushrooms, sweetcorn. You could also offer a yoghurt dip or houmous to help with eating veg.
- For fruit, start the week with fruit that goes off more quickly (berries, plums, peaches), followed by hardier options (apples, pears). If fruit needs peeling, you can make it easier for your child to peel it themselves by puncturing the skin, or cutting it up in advance.
- On average, a child’s lunch box is kicked, dropped or trodden on at least once a day, so wrap up fruit in kitchen towel or muslin to stop it bruising. Bananas bruise easily – why not use them up in our banana bread recipe instead? You could include dried fruit (mango, raisins, figs, dates, apricots) or a fruit pouch as a option once a week.
- Plan ahead. Many snacks can be cooked in batch, frozen, then defrosted one at a time. Prepare as much of the lunch box as you can the night before.
Most schools have policies on nuts and drinks other than water. Some also have policies on chocolate and crisps. If the lunch box keeps coming back uneaten, chat to the school and lunch-time staff to see if they can help.
What about school meals?
Even if your child eats a cooked meal at school, there are usually options to choose from. Look at the menus in advance and help your child choose what to eat each day. Most schools will allow you to send in fruit and vegetables to add to the meal.
School chefs are often working on a very tight budget but nobody likes to see food thrown in the bin. Does your child object to pasta sauce? See if they can provide an option without. Are the carrots always cooked? See if they can offer raw.
And check there’s nothing else stopping your child enjoying their lunch. My son wasn’t eating anything at school – until a school dinner lady realised he couldn’t see over the counter, so was just given anything! Talk to your child about the importance of choosing healthy foods to eat – Eat Move Learn, our resources for families and children – can help.
And finally … after-school snacks
Children often come out of school starving, regardless of what they’ve eaten that day. But snacks can be a great opportunity to add fibre and vitamins to your child’s day. If you have the time, it can be more fun – and cheaper – for children to help make their own snacks. Whether it’s slicing pitta, making a dip or something more adventurous, little chefs often turn into good eaters.
Top 5 recipes to try as snacks or in packed lunches
