Healthy packed lunches for children

Child's Packed Lunch

Making your child’s packed lunches is not the dream task of the day, it can be rather challenging to be inventive and fun and tasty enough for your child to enjoy and keep it healthy so as to get the nutrients into your child’s body. Usually parents get into the routine of making a sandwich and putting in a drink, a chocolate bar of some kind coupled with a packet of crisps. This option is awful but it could be a lot better. For example a packet of crisps each day will increase your child’s salt intake to over and above the recommended weekly allowance. In the morning, as parents know and can sympathize with, there are many tasks to complete in a short space of time. So the content of a child’s lunch box has to be quickly and easily prepared or it’s simply not going to be added.

Alternatives for the Sandwich

There is no problem with your child having a marmite or cheese sandwich once or twice or even three times a week but it can get tiresome and also it can have a lack of nutrients in it. To replace this sandwich try using a pitta bread instead or a roll now and again. Try to use whole wheat and if possible the ones that have nuts and/or seeds if you can as it is healthier for your child. Instead of using the same old spread from a jar, try using some meat from yesterdays dinner, or an egg and mayonnaise couple this with some sliced tomatoes and you will be on the way to helping towards the five a day plan that is recommended. You can even entice your child with a pasty or a pie just be careful of the salt content.

Fruit Instead of Chocolate

Apples are always a winner with children but you can also swap the apple for some satsumas, grapes, blueberries, strawberries, or even kiwis. If you are venturing down the fruit road then you may want to pack them in their own small container within the lunch box and even supply your child with some tissue for those sticky, wet fingers. You can use dried fruit for example apricots and raisins, they are easy and they don’t make a mess.

Salad and Vegetables instead of crisps

You can try putting together the evening before a tuna and sweet corn pasta or simply you can add to the lunch box a carrot stick or a celery stick. You do not have to completely leave out sugar. It’s ok to add a few crackers, or a piece of cake.