Packing a healthy lunchbox

With the unpredictable nature of our day-to-day lives, preparing and packing a healthy lunchbox can be a difficult task. Finding time to shop and prepare interesting and healthy meals for school lunches can stressful. But the foods we send to school with our kids can contribute up to 1/3 of their daily intake of nutrients. So its important to pack a balanced lunch to ensure they’re getting the nutrients they need. 

Things you need to know:

What is in a balanced lunchbox?

Pack the core 4 + 1 for active kids

• Main Lunch
• Core Snack
• Piece of fruit (seasonal)
• Water with an additional small reduced fat milk drink or 99% fruit juice (aim for <200ml serve) for added variety throughout the day
• +1 Extra snack for active kids

Add extra core snacks or one small ‘extra’ pre-packaged snack once a week.

Keep “occasional” foods such snack food bars, sweet biscuits, flavoured or coated popcorn and savoury biscuits and chips out of the lunch box. Although they can offer a practical convenient solution for lunchboxes, they should not replace the core snack and should be kept for special occasions. Avoid including the ones with added confectionery and opt for wholegrain varieties packed full of whole foods you can see with your eyes.

Need some lunchbox snack ideas? Here you go!

this article was published by Healthy Kids Association. For more great ideas, check out their website.