It will soon be time to think about school lunches again. Nutritionist Nuala Collins has a few tips to help make them more exciting and enticing for picky youngsters.
• Get kids involved in choosing and making their own school lunches from the first day of school term. Nuala says, “Any child from second class in primary school and upwards can join in — if they can dress Barbie or play XBox games, they have the dexterity needed to make a sandwich or fill a roll or wrap.”
• To help ensure that these school lunches are healthy, encourage the kids to choose ingredients for their lunch box from each of the following food groups: cereal and grain; fruit and vegetables; dairy and protein.
• For a drink, make sure they opt for water, fruit juice, milk, or no added sugar squash
• Don’t automatically think ‘sandwich’ when choosing something from the cereal and grain group — wraps, pitta pockets, flat bread, rolls, crackers, sliced bread, pasta, or rice salads all qualify.
• Wraps, rolls, sandwiches, and pitta pockets should have a protein filling such as tinned fish or chicken or cheese together with plenty of salad vegetables. However, Nuala warns, “Don’t double up on protein fillings, by mixing tuna and cheese for example. John West Tuna products and others are an excellent source of protein and don’t need any support from cheese. Although it’s a classic combination, it is actually doubling up on protein and supersizing by mistake.”
• Add one piece of fresh fruit and a yogurt to complete the healthy lunch picture.
• Be adventurous and try new foods, eg, new fruits in season.
• Enjoy a lunchtime treat — but just once a week or else it is not a treat! A bar or crisps or popcorn on a Friday is absolutely fine.
Very active kids need extra ‘fuel’ according to Nuala. “On sports days or days when there are afternoon activities, an extra small roll or half a sandwich or two crackers and cheese will see a young child through until dinner. For second level students an extra sandwich, filled roll, or wrap is the additional amount advised. And, of course, they need to drink more water when they’re this active, so include an extra bottle of water on these days.
“If you begin to get bored with the same old tastes, why not copy one of your friends and try something they bring to school in their lunch box!”
