Lunch Box 101 - Tips on what to pack

It’s only a few weeks into the school year, but the enthusiasm for packing lunch boxes in some households is already wearing thin. So if you have run out of ideas already, read on for some lunch box basics by a lunch packing, dietitian mum. My next blog will have examples of lunch boxes and how to put together the ideal lunch described here.

What and how much needs to go in a lunch box?

That depends on many things, age of child, how much breakfast they have had, how soon they can eat after school and really importantly where they will be eating their lunch. If they are unlucky like some kids, they end up eating lunch standing outside or sitting on a corridor floor – shame on you Surrey School District36. For most children, school including travelling time, is 6 to 7 hours, which is a long time. Children are at school to learn; they have to concentrate and focus all day, and maybe do some Pys Ed as well, so a good lunch is really important. If they miss breakfast (a very bad habit!) a good snack and lunch is absolutely essential.
Bottom line
A lunch box really needs to provide sufficient Calories and sufficient nutrients for your growing child. You can achieve this by including all the food groups. As for portion sizes, your child’s age and appetite, will determine that.

The Food Groups

Starches – better known as Carbohydrate, examples include bread, wraps, rice, pasta, muffins, crackers, pretzels and cereals. Carbohydrate is brain fuel and high fibre carbohydrates will keep them feeling full for longer. Packing whole grain, higher fibre choices lets the sugar in the food get released slowly and steadily, and in turn fuels the brain at a steady pace and makes the body feel satisfied for longer. Refined carbohydrates eaten by themselves without fibre, protein or some fat mixed in, causes a spike in blood sugar levels and a corresponding spike in insulin; then a sugar low once all the sugar has been moved out of the blood stream – not good for concentration.
Meat and meat alternatives – the Protein supplying food group– meat, fish, cheese, nuts or meat alternatives like tofu. Protein is not only the building block for many tissues but also affects mood and concentration. It increases the satisfying affect of a meal.
Dairy - Milk based products or their alternatives – for instance milk, yogurt, cheeses or soy beverage. Many parents miss this golden opportunity to pack a low fat, high protein and calcium loaded option such as flavoured low fat milk or a low fat yogurt. Just watch the flavoured bottle milk shake type milks, as they can be very high in sugar, or high fructose corn syrup. Keep dairy cold with an ice pack.
Fruits and vegetables - The more the better!
Why - Essential for fibre and for achieving daily and vitamin mineral requirements – not forgetting the useful side effect of displacing the junk food element! If your kids don’t like to peel apples or mandarins at school– apple sauce or small snack cups of fruit like peaches, mandarin s or pineapples work well. Most children do not get recommended amount s of this food group so packing 1 or 2 in at lunch may be essential.
Fat – Kids still need some for feeling full and providing energy but keep snacks loaded with saturated fats (chips, chocolate bars, snack bars) to a minimum and replace them with food that contains healthy fats- nut butters, hummus, avocado dips or food that does double duty, like cheese which contains fat but also delivers protein and calcium and much better it is for their teeth than sweetened chewy granola bars!
For more info on the food groups check out Canada’s Food guide at www.healthcanada.gc.ca/foodguide
Water – don’t forget fluids- study after study shows that dehydration = poor performance in kids and a sizeable number of kids start the day dehydrated! Packing water or real juice in a reusable container is economical for you and the environment. If you have packed milk as well then that should be good for the average day. However, on hot days or Phys Ed days remind your children to drink at the fountains or pack more water.

Make your life easier – a few tips

Plan ahead on a weekly basis

Start by making a plan at the beginning of the week of what you intend packing for each day of the week – get the children involved here and get them to make the list. Better still get a mini white board and put it up in the kitchen with lunch plan and the days on it, children love writing on white boards and love being part of the decision making process and of course it is something they need to learn to stay healthy anyway – that’s a lot of good reasons to make a list! It doesn’t have to be set in stone- then you can include the foods you need to buy for the menu - sandwich fillings, bread/buns - in your weekly shop, just transfer to you shopping list. When at the grocery store get a separate basket or cart for the packed lunch items and send older children off to get them (you may need to edit the cart!). For younger children just help them pick out the items when at that section. You may need to add some non perishable items to have as standby’s – like crackers and tuna, raisins, pretzels, and the fruit cups.

Stress free packing - containers, containers and more containers!

Have a variety of sized containers - with lids! If you don’t already have some, invest in sandwich size boxes, a few snack size containers about 20cm square and then even smaller ones for smaller fruit or vegetable containers – think chunks of cucumber, pepper slices, carrot sticks. Get some reusable juice boxes. I personally wrap most things in wax paper before I put them in the boxes; it holds the sandwich together better, stops the sandwich tasting of plastic and keeps sloppy fillings from smearing the whole container.
Allow enough time in the morning and get help.
Give yourself a few minutes extra to make the sandwiches and to allow for any “unforeseen circumstances”
Perhaps you want to make the “entree” but get the children to put in milk or snack of fruit – as it they know what there is as the helped buy it right? You may have to police this a few times but as soon as you feel they can get their own carrot sticks or grapes ready, let them.

Pack the night before?

Some parents swear by making the lunchboxes the night before and then put them in the fridge. You could try this but don’t put the whole lunch bag in the fridge, just put the containers in the fridge and leave the lunch box itself in the cupboard – it really isn’t wise putting that in the fridge- you don’t know where it’s been and your fridge is a clean “food prep” space.

A few lunch box rules

Don’t pack what your children don’t like!

It is tempting to pack the food that you know little Johnny should be eating but the rule here is - If they don’t eat it at home they won’t eat it at school either! I studied school lunches during my Masters and found out day one of the study, that what goes to school and what gets eaten are not the same!. Try new foods at home first, that includes different types of bread, otherwise little Johnny might be in for a very hungry afternoon!
No Pop or Soft drinks, period, no arguments.
I shall keep this brief, water, milk or real juice only. Coke and fizzy drinks weaken their teeth and provide on average about 10 teaspoons of sugar and no other nutrients per can. For teenage girls in particular, soft drinks displace the calcium containing drinks, like milk or soy milk, which they need to consume to get their bones to optimal strength – this point also applies to all caffeine containing drinks, including of course coffee. Do your teenage children a really big favour and get them off pop, sodas and soft drinks.

Ice pack required

If you put anything in the lunch box which came out of the fridge then you need an ice pack – even in winter. Lunch boxes warm up quickly in classrooms and germ start to multiple fast when they get warm.

Contingency plan

If none of this works, and you know the children are either not eating well, or not at all at school, then make sure when they get home from school they eat something healthy. Make sure also that their other meals are balanced and contain a variety of foods from the food group to make up for the lapse during lunch time –by careful meal planning the other meals can compensate for a poor lunch, just try not to make it a habit.
For more regular tip on a variety of topics about eating well sign up for my newsletter and regularly check out my blog.
Post a comment let me know what you think. Thanks, Sarah.