SCHOOL is back after a great summer, and we can’t complain about the weather we’ve had. But now it’s time to get back into a routine and kickstart that healthy eating again post-summer.
Packed lunches don’t have to be boring so fill up on fibre with wholemeal or wholegrain bread being a good choice. White bread has its place too but has less fibre. Bread is a good source of energy and b-vitamins, so try using different types like multigrain, seed rolls, bagels, bread rolls, baguettes, pitta breads etc each day to keep it interesting.
Include lean meats (chicken, turkey) in the sandwich but if going for red meat (corned beef, bacon, ham etc) it’s no more than 70g per day – equivalent to two slices of corned beef, two rashers of thick bacon and five ham slices.
Tuna is good added to a sandwich and don’t be afraid to add some cheese. Vegan meat alternative is Quorn and cheese alternative is Sheese or Violife brands.
Vegetables (peppers, tomatoes, onions, sweetcorn, cucumber, kale, spinach etc) are nice added to sandwiches and can boost the five per day for your kids. Fruit is a good snack with fresh (apple, banana, grapes, kiwi, berries) and dried (raisins, apricots) being good choices. Include some dairy (low fat yoghurt, fromage frais, rice pudding) in your child’s lunch box or a vegan alternative like soya. These are full of calcium for their growing bones.
For hydration avoid fizzy drinks that are high in sugar and choose from plain water, milk, smoothies, fruit juice and low calorie squash.
• Lee McCusker (BA; MSc; MSc; MSc; ANutr; SENr) is a registered nutritionist from Belfast and can be found on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Email: attentive nutrition@gmail.com
