Lunch boxes provide children with at least a third of their daily intake of energy for the day as well as providing them with the energy required for school activities in the classroom and on the sports field. A healthy diet not only protects children from diseases and illness but boosts their cognitive abilities too. Here are some lunch box ideas for your children.
To avoid uneaten lunches, it is wise not to make sudden and drastic changes but rather start with adding a serving of a fresh fruit or vegetables to the rest of their lunch. This can be:
- An apple, orange or banana, either whole or cut into pieces to get them started on the journey of nutrition.
- Oranges or watermelon cut into pieces and frozen
- Slices of pineapple or mangoes, some litchis or a bunch of grapes for an interesting snack that will satisfy the sweetest tooth without the added preservatives
- Kiwi fruit with the top cut off which can be eaten with a teaspoon
- A container of mixed berries made up of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries
- Peaches, nectarines or plums either whole or cut into pieces
Any of the above-mentioned fruits can be added to some yoghurt which can serve as an encouragement for those children not keen on eating fruit.
Low-fat salad dressing or hummus is the perfect pairing for raw veggies like carrots, sweet peppers, cucumber, celery, mushrooms and baby tomatoes. Try avocado as an alternative spread to the traditional peanut butter and jam.
Source: www.rsa.co.za.