Lunchtime Lesson

by Karen Hussain

Any Parent with a fussy eater can dread making up the daily lunch box. In the end it can be filled with as much guilt and frustration as it is with lunchables and cheesy Quavers. But, in fact, the lunch box can be our friend. Consider, just for a moment, the following:

•    Your child can’t moan at you about the contents of their lunch box when they are eating it because you’re not there to listen.
•     Your child is going to be hungry because they have been at school all morning;
•    Contrary to all your fears, children do not starve themselves.
•    Children are both distracted and encouraged by their peers; think chimp’s tea party.
•    If they can’t remember what they’ve done all day when you ask them, they will equally have forgotten all about their lunch box gripe by home-time.  

Lunch boxes then, are the perfect vehicle in which to slip some unsuspecting nutrients into your child’s diet and you should aim to include in it protein, complex carbohydrates, calcium and fruit and vegetables.
Food marketing departments are desperate to help us, it would seem, with our lunchtime chore. Supermarket shelves are lined with 'healthy' snacks and drinks that are 'ideal for lunchboxes' but a quick glance at the ingredient list demonstrates most of these brightly coloured, vacuum sealed packages are clearly neither. Here are some to avoid:
Cereal bars: many cereal bars contain more than 40 per cent sugar and 30 per cent fat. While sugar eaten in a bowl of cereal tends to get washed away by the milk, in cereal bars, sugar sticks to the teeth causing maximum damage.
Flavoured yoghurt: the once-healthy yoghurt now often comes attached to a pack of confectionery to stir in. Some of these contain more than five teaspoons of sugar in each pot.
Savoury snacks: cheese strings and prepackaged snacks such as Lunchables tend to be highly processed and may contain high levels of saturated fat and salt. One single snack can contain almost as much salt as a young child should have in an entire day.
'Real fruit' snacks: saying a product is made with 'real fruit' gives it a healthy spin. But take a closer look at the label and you may find that they contain as much as a whopping 63 per cent sugar! Manufacturers might claim that they are 'a great fun way to enjoy a healthy and nutritious diet' but a dentist might disagree.
Fruit juice 'drinks': pure fruit juice contains 100 per cent fruit juice as you would expect. However a 'fruit juice drink' can contain as little as 6 per cent juice. Many so-called 'juice drinks' are really only juice-flavoured sugary water and contain more water and sugar than actual fruit juice. They many also include artificial flavourings, sweeteners and colourings.

Best lunchbox tips
Here are tried and tested ways to make your   Follow our best lnch
1.    Make eating fruit fun. Most children will leave food that takes a lot of effort to eat, as they want a quick refuelling stop leaving maximum time for the playground. Peel clementines and cover with plastic wrap, cut fruit up into bite sized-pieces of fruit.
2.    Cut down on salt. Children tend to consume too much salt in their diet.. Eating foods that contain potassium (such as bananas and dried apricots) helps balance the effect of salt in the body.
3.    Limit sugar in your child's lunch by choosing fruit cups with natural syrup only, unsweetened apple sauce and low-sugar snacks
4.    Ensure salads remain crisp. When making salads it's keep the salad dressing separate and let your child pour it over the salad himself.
5.    Build on your child's tastes. Communicate with your child and ask him what he enjoyed in his lunchbox. Ask if there are any foods that other children bring to school that he would like to try.
6.    Save time. Lunches can be prepared the night before to save time in the morning. When the clock is ticking it’s so much easier to compromise. Making the lunch up at the same time as your evening meal will make you more inclined to chuck in that odd vegetable or salad accompaniement
7.    Keep food warm. It's a good idea to include something hot in a lunchbox, particularly when the weather is cold. A wide-mouthed mini-Thermos flask would be ideal for soup that's both warming and nutritious.
8.    Keep food cool. If you want to keep the contents of your child's lunchbox cool, try freezing a carton or plastic bottle of juice overnight. The frozen drink will help keep food cool and will have defrosted by lunchtime. Choose pure fruit juice or fruit smoothies, not fruit juice 'drinks' which tend to be high in added sugar.
9.    Freshen up. Cut-up vegetables sticks can dry out, so wrap them in some damp kitchen paper to retain moisture.
10.    Cut down on junk.. If your child likes crisps but you don’t want him to fill up by eating a whole bag, put some in a small bag or wrap some crisps in foil.
11.    Add a personal touch. Tuck a surprise like a note, stickers or joke in your child's lunchbox.  Draw a face on a banana with a marker pen or cut sandwiches into novelty shapes using cookie cutters. At the weekend it's a good idea to get your children involved in the kitchen making things like cookies and muffins which they can then take to school the following week.
12. Let your child help make his/her lunch. Discuss the food groups and make a chart of what should be in their lunch, then have your child choose one item from each of the food groups to put in their lunch. Kids are much more likely to eat a lunch they packed rather than trade it for junk food, and it is a chance to reinforce healthy eating. Even a preschooler can do this with a little help

With a little forward planning and thought the contents of your child’s lunch box will be lighter on your wallet and your conscience. And on their hearts.

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