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<\/p>\nWhat to put in your kid\u2019s lunchbox can be a tricky dilemma, particularly as it needs to be done five days a week, often for multiple children who like different foods. It goes without saying that no matter how healthy the lunch box is, it won\u2019t provide any nutritional value if it doesn\u2019t get eaten!<\/p>\n
But spinning the idea into a positive light, the best bit about packing your kids lunch is that you know exactly what it contains. Don\u2019t forget, little tummies don\u2019t need as much so it can be a good idea to pack smaller serves, i.e. fruit and vegetables chopped up, sandwiches quartered. It also helps the food appear more appealing, it is easier to eat and still leaves time to play.<\/p>\n
Your children are more likely to have a balanced lunch if they have a main meal and snack which comprise of the different food groups \u2013 fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins and dairy. Why these are important to your little ones is explained below:<\/p>\n
Dairy foods provide an excellent source of calcium which is important for children\u2019s growth and development, particularly for strong, healthy bones.<\/p>\n
Grains are another important component of the diet, they provide an important source of carbohydrate as well as other vitamins and minerals. However, the type of grain is important \u2013 try to always choose whole grain or high fibre varieties of bread, cereal, rice, pasta or noodles. Foods high in refined grains, such as cakes and biscuits, should be limited as they can be high in added sugar, fat and salt.<\/p>\n
Good protein sources include lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds. Protein is essential for children\u2019s growth and development, particularly of their bones and muscles. It also helps build and repair tissues in the body. A healthy protein source should be a key part of every lunchbox for kids of all ages.<\/p>\n
Fruit are a great source of vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre all of which are highly important for maintaining health and good growth and development. Servings of fruit should be less than servings of vegetables \u2013 think of a 2:5 ratio.<\/p>\n
Vegetables, legumes and beans are also a great source of vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre. They should make up a good proportion of each of your children\u2019s meals and even make an excellent snacking option. Servings of vegetables should be higher than servings of fruit in a daily diet \u2013 think of a 5:2 ratio!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
^ A Balanced Lunch Box. As a rough guide try and proportion the above elements to:<\/p>\n
25% Grains
\n25% Vegetables
\n15% Fruit
\n15% Protein
\n20% Diary<\/p>\n
And don\u2019t forget the water! It should be the main drink for your child.<\/p>\n
This will vary with the age of the child and obviously every child has different tastes and dietary requirements, but this is a good ratio to keep in mind when you are packing your child’s lunch.<\/p>\n
All parents know that preparing a lunchbox take times. It goes without saying that we are all juggling parenting and home commitments with work. It is a balance between providing healthy options and having the time to prepare products and meals that our little ones will eat. Don\u2019t be hard on yourself if you have to include a packaged food option from time to time. Try to ensure the packaged food options \u2013 be it a snack, or dairy product for example \u2013 offer your children a nutritional benefit and contain as few additives as possible.<\/p>\n
Good luck in getting back into the school routine! We\u2019d love to hear of some of your lunchbox suggestions.<\/p>\n
Diana Austen works for Whole Kids as a Nutrition Advisor. With a Master\u2019s degree in nutrition, she has spent over six years\u2019 experience working with a range of companies on innovation, strategic insight and regulatory and scientific affairs. Fascinated by the nutritional requirements of infants and young children she focuses specifically on products for this age group.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
What to put in your kid\u2019s lunchbox can be a tricky dilemma, particularly as it needs to be done five days a week, often for multiple children who like different foods. It goes without saying that no matter how healthy the lunch box is, it won\u2019t provide any nutritional value if it doesn\u2019t get eaten!…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2199,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"templates\/custom-post-st.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,55,61,54],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholekids.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2197"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholekids.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholekids.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholekids.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholekids.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2197"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholekids.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2197\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15559,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholekids.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2197\/revisions\/15559"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholekids.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholekids.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholekids.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholekids.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}