Summer is officially over. Parents are returning to work after a few blissful - hopefully - weeks off with their little ones and kids are going back to school, refreshed, energised and ready for a new year. And with the return to school comes the duty of packing school lunches for five days of the week.
If healthy eating habits have eased a little over the last six weeks, coming up with new ideas to get those packed lunches filled with healthy, nutritious - and affordable - meals can be stressful. Luckily, one registered nutritionist and founder of The Nutrition Consultant Ltd. Charlotte Radcliffe has made things a little easier by posting some useful tips on a blog and Instagram - @the_nutrition_consultant - page to "help bring variety, colour and balance to your kids' lunchbox".
With over 20 years experience, it's safe to say she knows a thing or two when it comes to food and ingredients. Introducing the tips on her blog, Charlotte writes: "Lunch should provide around a third of your child’s energy and nutritional requirements for basic bodily functions and growth. As well as supplying nutrition, each mealtime allows children to develop their social skills and establish life-long healthy eating and drinking habits."
Read more: Calls for free school meal offer to be extended to secondary pupils
And while packing sandwiches day in day out can make things a little boring, Charlotte suggests these five tricks to make things easier and a tad more interesting for both you and your children:
PLAN - Whatever works for you e.g. lunch planning for the week or dinner planning and saving leftovers, which is also a cost-effective option. An incredible way of planning lunches across the week without much stress is by batch cooking, ie, cooking larger amounts of food so you can store some for later. Spaghetti bolognese is one great dish for this.
VARIETY - Instead of two slices of bread and a fillling, mix it up with a bagel, pittabread of even tortilla wrap. During the winter months, soup and stews (that can also be batch cooked) are a good change of pace as well as simply trying out different fillings with food you have in the house - eggs, peppers, spinach, tomato, cheese, hummus, for example.
TALK - Chat to your kids about what they would like in their lunchboxes (if they are old enough) as they are more liekely to enjoy them and not waste anything.
EXPERIMENT - Introduce new foods - set a target; maybe one new food per week.
SEASONAL - Eat seasonally where you can, which means food is cheaper and easier to get hold of.
Diving deeper into what elements should be included in childrens' - and adults' - packed lunches, Charlotte outlines what should go into a lunch box for a nutritionally balanced meal.
It's recommended that your child's lunchbox should include at least one portion each of fruit and vegetables - things like grapes, apple slices, chopped carrots or peppers. If fresh fruit is off the table, she stresses that dried, tinned or frozen fruit all count.
Starchy carbohydrates like bread, pasta, potatoes or rice will aid your child's energy levels and boost brain power - opting for wholewheat versions will also boost fibre intake.
"Protein," she writes, "is important for healthy growth and promotes a feeling of fullness, which may help to reduce hunger pangs." Examples include tinned fish, tofu, chicken or eggs.
Adding dairy products (or fortified plant-based alternatives) into the lunch box will also give your child an essential dose of calcium - think cheese or plain yoghurt. They also make for a tasty post-sarnie snack.
Healthy fats are a great addition too and promote heart health - such as seeds, avocado and olive oil.
The NHS too has some tasty meal times suggestions, tips and recipes that kids and parents will love - for example: creamy hummus dip with pitta bread and vegetable sticks or an egg mayonnaise and lettuce bap.
READ NEXT:
- Free school meals: Welsh councils reveal which children will be offered them from the start of term
- Michael Mosley shares the one ingredient we all need to know about for the most nutritious breakfast
- Joe Wicks' healthy snack hack to curb your sugar cravings
- What foods count as ‘ultra-processed’ and the most popular ones in the UK
- Davina McCall's tips for a sugar-free diet include stocking up on fruit and taking it slow
