With the new school term looming, a big subject now is health and maintaining a balanced diet. Something to consider for all ages and any parent who has the daily chore of preparing a pack lunch for their children will know that it is a tough job keeping it interesting and making sure our kids are getting the right kind of nourishment.
Maintaining a good healthy diet is important for our children's health and wellbeing. In times of fuel crisis and more difficult financial situations, parents want to ensure a healthy diet is maintained, and keep it affordable.
The same old sandwiches can become a little boring, so we thought we would do some research and explore what the professional dietitian's recommend to go in those lunch boxes to maintain a healthy diet.
Pasta Salad using whole wheat pasta
Undoubtedly, pasta is a very common foodstuff in our homes today. It is a great food to fill those rumbling tummy's, and you can create an abundance of variety when it comes to the complete dish. Many of us will be cooking those pasta bakes and other traditional Italian delights and cooking that little extra for the next day’s pack lunch can save time and be very cost-effective.
Dietitian's recommend whole-wheat pasta to ensure your children get the fiber they need. Accompany this with a tasty Italian dressing, some cherry tomatoes, some broccoli, green beans, peppers, cheese (of course), and some hard-boiled eggs. Yes, eggs are a good side dish and provides children with the additional proteins.
Don’t forget to add some fruit and you really do have a great mix of energy inducing healthy ingredients, or brain food for your children’s day at school.
The lunch box mix
We all know most children love those prepackaged meals which invariably contain less goodness than they really should. Very often they are loaded with sodium and other preservatives. There is an alternative, and this is much easier than it seems.
You can shop for low sodium meats. We recommend some turkey or chicken. Accompany that with some slices of cheese, crackers, cooked green beans, apple slices with a low calorie spread, you then have a lunch with variety and healthiness at its core. A great balanced meal with all the necessary ingredients for a healthy diet.
Wrap it all up into one delicious meal
As a nation, we have become somewhat obsessed with wraps. Whole-wheat tortilla wraps are a good healthy option and alternative to bread. Mix in some of last night’s rotisserie chicken, some cheese, spinach, lettuce, and cucumber, you really do have a great healthy meal for your child. To keep it interesting, you could also include some low-fat dressing and accompany the wraps with some blueberries and raspberries, and may be some of Tims Dairy Yogurt from our online store. We also have the excellent range of Benecol products including yogurts and oat shots that help to maintain those healthy cholesterol levels.
We know from talking to parents on the doorstep, they 'get the guilts' if they are packing the same old things in the pack lunch box. However, there are an abundance of simple recipes that can be explored, many of which can be timesaving, inventive and interesting. Of course, a good mix of your children’s favourites and the healthy options (which might not be such a favourite) is most certainly the way to go to ensure your child is happy when they lift that lunch box lid, and to guarantee it is empty when they return home.
Foulgers Dairy stocks a lot of fresh produce and an abundance of choice for parents who are looking for a little more invention when it comes to their children’s pack lunches. We all know it's a tough job being a parent, and keeping it interesting, fresh and those hungry stomachs full is always a challenge.
Talk to us at the Foulgers Dairy office, or certainly visit our store to see what we can deliver to your doorstep.
