Healthy lunch ideas
Tired of packing the same old lunch for your kids?
Good food habits set early in childhood can last a lifetime. Lunches provide around one third of our daily nutritional needs, so it’s important to put some thought and planning into them.
Here are some tips on how to prepare a healthy lunchbox that your child will eat and enjoy.
1. Include a wide variety of foods
- For a balanced diet they need fruit and vegetables, starchy foods, protein and dairy
2. Vary the types of bread
- For example, pitta bread, bagels, wholemeal rolls – keep a stock in the freezer
3. Cook extra rice or pasta in the evening
- These can make great salads. Try a pasta salad or filled tortillas
4. Brightly coloured bottles can make plain water more interesting!
- Fluids are important for children – up to 6 cups of fluid should be encouraged daily. Milk and plain water are the best options.
5. Get your child involved in packing lunches
- Let them help choose some element of their lunch. Pick a colourful lunchbox or let them decorate one with stickers
6. Try out new ideas at teatime or the weekend
- Children often need to see and taste new foods several times before they accept them, so try them out before including them in a lunchbox
7. Try to offer different foods every day
- They may just want to stick with their favourites but encouraging them to eat a variety of foods is really important.
Watch: More healthy lunchbox ideas
Healthy lunchboxes
Want to know what goes into a healthy lunchbox? The possibilities are endless! To help you and your kids pack tasty, nutritious lunchboxes we have a leaflet with practical suggestions for each day of the week.
Download our healthy lunchboxes leaflet
