Introduction

A friend who works in a day nursery sees children who bring in a jam sandwich on white bread, a packet of crisps and a bar of chocolate for lunch. Packed with salt, fat, sugar, no veg, no protein, no fruit – a disaster.
These are the nutritional guidelines for lunch, for a child aged 9-12:

  • Energy 585kcal
  • Fat 23.7gof which saturated fat 7.5g
  • Carbohydrate 81.3g
  • Salt 1.83g

There is no guideline for the amount of sugar, which is found in carbohydrate, starchy foods, as well as in fruit and vegetables. Added sugar, which causes tooth rot, is high in juice drinks, fizzy drinks and many processed foods.
Like many parents, I pack up a lunch for my kids every day, and I know what a challenge it can be to think of something appetizing and to include that’s also healthy. If you're concerned about your child's weight, see our tips on weight loss for kids.
I hope these suggestions help you pack healthy lunch boxes for kids.

This offer the list of what ought to be inside healthy lunch boxes for your kids.

  • 1 portion starchy food – bread, pasta, rice
  • 1 portion milk or dairy food
  • 1 portion fruit
  • 1 portion vegetables
  • 1 portion protein such as meat or fish

But how do you go about getting all that into those lunch boxes for kids?