Lunchbox ideas
Excerpts from Nikki Hart article
There's no single magic food you have to eat to be well, but you need to eat a variety of foods and enough food to get your needs for growth. It's also important to know that what you eat affects your learning, concentration and growth.
Carbohydrate is the primary source of fuel for the brain and your muscles during exercise. Carbohydrate is found in mainly plant-based foods such as breads, cereals, fruits and vegetables but also in milk and milk products.
Your ability to think and performance at sport will be impaired if you don't get enough of these foods.
It's also really important that the carbohydrates you eat include some whole-grains - not just highly refined 'white' carbohydrate foods like white bread, biscuits, cakes and pastry. These last foods also contain high levels of fat, salt and sugar 9 .
Lunchbox tips for Winter:
- Make your sandwiches the night before - or try toasted sandwiches - they're still yummy the day after!
- If you're in a hurry, grab some crackers and a tin of tuna. You can 'prepare' your lunch at school.
- Always make sure you have some fruit like apples or bananas- so easy to eat, especially if you like to walk around during your class breaks.
- Save that leftover rice or pasta for your lunch - add in some veges or cottage cheese.
- If you have access to a microwave in your common room, try taking cup-of-soups and a couple slices of bread.
Lunchbox tips for Summer:
- Make your sandwiches with frozen bread so they thaw out during the morning
- Freeze your water bottle
- Cut fruits into small segments and place in containers so they don't get bruised
- Freeze your yoghurt/dairy food pottle
- Freeze mandarin/orange segments
The ideal lunchbox:
Bread: eg. 2-4 x high-fibre white bread sandwiches made with margarine and marmite and lettuce
Fruit: eg. An apple and a banana or small container of berries, grapes, or two mandarins
Dairy: eg. 1 x cheese triangle/yoghurt - in summer freezing this overnight will keep it nice and cold during the day. Otherwise try having a glass of milk or milky milo as soon as you get in from school - just the thing on a cold winter's day!
Drink: aim to have water or flavoured water rather than energy drinks, which are high in sugar and often caffeine. The high acidity of these and other soft drinks can also result in early tooth decay.
Snacks: a piece of home-made slice or high fibre muesli bar or 2 x fruit digestive biscuits; a couple of raw peeled carrots with some hummus, or two crackers with a spread.
Variety is the spice of life
Sick of just having sandwiches? How about varying it weekly or daily with;
- Wraps or pitas
- Rolls
- Muffins/scones
- Focaccia bread
- Crackers
Mix your fruits up;
It doesn't always have to be fresh fruit, how about using canned or dried versions
- Put canned fruit into containers or use the individual fruit pottles
- Mix various dried fruits
- Box of raisins
- Fresh fruit cut into bite-size segments in a container
Snack ideas
- Cold, cooked corn of the cob segments
- Microwave plain popcorn mixed with dried fruit
- Homemade pikelets or bought plain ones with jam in between as a sandwich
- Cold toasted wholegrain sandwiches filled with savoury filling, eg cheese and tomato
- Cut up vegetables with pita or bagel crisps and hummus/dip
- Small bag of nuts
- Creamed rice in small pottles
- Pretzels
- Chunky Cereal like fruity bix
- Boiled egg - keep it in the shell to stop it smashing in your lunchbox.
Eating a variety helps you eat well, and including energy-giving carbohydrates is the key to staying alert and having the energy to get through your school day.
