Lifting the lid on healthy lunchboxes

We're in between holiday periods in Luxembourg, and our kids are spending quite a bit of time at home, but the school year is still far from over.

That means parents are still handling the routine of packing those daily lunchboxes. Roughly 200 lunchboxes are prepared per child during the school year, so naturally the task can be repetitive, not to mention tricky to get the nutritional balance right.

So what is the magic formula, if one exists, to help power your kids through the school day and entice the hard working scholars to devour their snack at break time?

RTL Today spoke to dietitian and nutritionist Diana Reid aka the Global Dietitian (and mum of three), to glean some much-needed inspiration for planning those lunchboxes.

Best lunchbox award

In Luxembourg, primary-level school children will attend a maison relais/foyer at midday where their lunch is served to them. But in many cases, a lunchbox needs to be prepared and brought to school for their morning snack.

First of all, in prepping said lunchbox, Diana is keen to point out that parents really need to cut themselves some slack and not feel like they are competing for best lunchbox award each and every morning.
 
Social media can be awash with artistic, cutesy creations but this can also convey the impression that the perfect lunchbox must be assembled daily, otherwise you are failing your child.

Cutting out petite carrot flowers and crafting heart-shaped sandwiches is all very sweet, but who is that parent in real life?

It’s an ideal that is quite simply unrealistic and Diana believes that a comforting lunchbox, first and foremost, will be a successful one. So forget gourmet snacks or a riot of rainbow colours and start the school year by going back to basics.

Pressure 

Diana advises parents to try and approach the task with a different mindset. “One of the things for parents is that there is a lot of pressure around making these amazing lunch boxes and making these beautiful, perfectly balanced, healthy meals,” she explains.

“What we really have to do is step back and ask what are your kids’ needs during the day? One of the first things I think about is ‘is my kid actually eating breakfast?’ because that will affect how much I pack and what I might pack? Does my kid have other eating opportunities during the day?

“The other thing that is really important is that every kid is different and for a lot of kids lunchtime is not very relaxing. It can be stressful, it can be really noisy, they can be very overwhelmed. They may not have enough time to really sit and eat. There may be space limitations. How much room do they have to open stuff up? We have to think about the environment in which they are going to be eating.”

The kind of eater your child is also has to be considered when planning what goes into their lunchbox, she notes. 
“What we really have to think about is what will our kid eat. A lot of the time we think ‘I have to give my kid a super balanced lunch’. It doesn't matter how beautiful, perfect and balanced it is if it’s not eaten.”

And whose heart has not sank that little bit on inspecting a returning lunchbox with the contents barely touched?

Diana counters the notion that the contents of lunchboxes always need to be varied and exciting.
Sticking to what they actually like and what they have time to eat in that short window rather than striving to cover all the food groups can simplify things, she suggests.

© Canva

Instead of being of the view that every day has to be "new, unique and amazing" parents can allow themselves some degree of freedom in the food choices.

“Rather than thinking that I have to pack the perfect lunch because my child needs absolute, balanced nutrition every single instance, sometimes we have to think about what can they eat during that period of time and then where else can I backfill that nutrition?  "

“Where else can I make sure, in a calmer environment or when they have more time, that they get more of that nutrition they need?"

“Maybe if you have a super adventurous eater then you can pack something different every day but for some kids consistence is really important. Sometimes you just pack the same thing several times a week and that’s okay as well. What we really want to do is get some nutrition in them but school may not be the perfect time to get in every single food group,” she emphasises.

Engagement

Diana suggests parents can involve their child, if they are ready, and give them a voice about what goes into their lunchbox as well as help with the preparation in some small way.

“I encourage parents to sit down with their kids and really ask about how hungry they are [at school], how much time do they have, how much space do they have to eat and what would be an easy, delicious thing for them to eat. Make a list of these foods and use this as the basis to pack their lunch.”

Nobody wants to waste food or money on lunches that are not going to be eaten, she reiterates.

Energy, focus, concentration  

Despite simplicity being key, school is demanding and students need to be adequately powered for it.

“I think it is very important to make sure that your kids have enough energy and nutrition and have access to good nutrition, sufficient food calories etc to help them stay focused at school."
 
"Our brain actually uses anywhere from 80 to 90 per cent of the glucose that we consume. Especially if kids have activities after school, I think it is important to make sure they are fuelled up."

Motivation

Keeping the motivation up in prepping the daily lunchbox all year round can be hard to maintain, Diana acknowledges.

"I do think it is really hard and it goes back to the idea of rather than trying to be perfect all of the time, think about what your kid needs. Start with the minimum you need to do instead of staring with the maximum. Try to  keep things really basic so you're not trying to create magic on a weekly basis. That is not sustainable, in my view."

Just remember that lunch is one part of your child's overall nutrition and that is where flexibility has to come in, she adds.

Lastly in terms of hydration, Diana believes that 80 per cent should be plain water, while sounding a note of caution about offering juice, fizzy and caffeinated drinks as an option.

"What I really don't feel great about is soda and energy drinks for kids, even teenagers. Mostly because there is a lot of sugar and caffeine and there is not any additional supportive nutrition as well as not being great for our teeth. Juice is, on occasion, a reasonable thing but again even though it has some vitamins and minerals it tends to be more sugar than anything and it isn't very filling or satisfying."

Suggestions

You can spy some of Diana’s lunchbox filler ideas here. Her snack formula is to include protein + fruit/veg/grain/starch/sweet

• Peanut butter and sliced apples (you can add chopped nuts or coconut on top)
• Rice cakes with Philadelphia cream cheese and smoked salmon or avocado
• Snack plate with sliced veg, grapes, sliced turkey and cheese
• Hummus and crackers and/or sliced vegetables
• Handful of mixed nuts and dried fruit (“trail mix”) with maybe a few chocolate chips mixed in for fun
• Cheese and crackers and fruit
• Popcorn and mixed nuts
• Edamame and mini pretzels
• Cottage cheese and applesauce/puree
• Greek yogurt and fruit (maybe add a little muesli or granola on top)
• Toast/bread with nut butter and sliced banana (add a bit of chopped nuts or chia seeds for crunch)
• Wasa crackers with tuna or smoked salmon and Philadelphia cream cheese (add some tomatoes or cucumbers for added nutrition)
• Smoothie made with yogurt or milk plus fruit
• Energy bites (lots of great recipes on the internet for these – they are usually made from nuts and seeds, oats, occasionally honey or maple syrup and often some dried fruit) plus a piece of fruit or a glass of milk
• Avocado toast (add a poached or boiled egg for protein or some tomatoes for extra nutrition)
• Toasted bread with sliced tomatoes, basil and mini mozzarella balls (drizzle with olive oil if you’d like)
• Cookies and milk (add some fruit as well to get added nutrition)