Health Hunter

Health Hunter Healthy Lunchbox Rhian Hunter Inspiration

WBE PREPARED: Pack your lunches the night before, or better still plan out what ith a third of your child’s total daily food intake being consumed at school, you’re going to have the week before. You can make and store some foods at the what you choose to include in your child’s lunch box is going to have a huge beginning of your week for 5 days, such as chia puddings, scrambled tofu, veggie impact on their health and wellbeing. It’s an enormous pressure to be responsible Bolognese, pesto, hummus, popcorn, etc. for making sure you’re providing foods that have all the right nutrients, vitamins and minerals needed for their energy, growth, and learning - especially when we are so busy and time poor. KEEP PACKAGED FOODS TO A MINIMUM + READ LABELS: Many packaged products on our supermarket shelves can be laden with artificial colours, flavours and emulsifiers. These ingredients may affect anything from your child’s School or day-care mornings are busy, often chaotic, so it’s easier to resort to behaviour, attention span, learning development and capabilities and social pre-packaged, and processed foods in order to save time. The obvious downside interactions to allergies. The best way to reduce packaged foods is to make your to this is that our children are not only consuming excess sugars, but also not own snacks, but if you don’t have the time to do this, that’s okay - just make sure meeting their nutritional requirements. This in turn could result in long lasting you take the time to read the labels and educate yourself on any ingredient that negative impacts on their health. you’re unfamiliar. Now let’s be real here for a moment. Keeping a balance between the nutritional FIND OUT WHAT YOUR KIDS ENJOY & GET THEM INVOLVED: If your kids requirements of growing/developing children and serving up foods they will show an interest in cooking, let them be part of the process (they’ll be more actually eat poses a whole new set of challenges, even for the most organised of inclined to eat something they’ve helped to prepare). Maybe your kid loves salty parents. If you think that isn’t enough to make you throw in the towel altogether, snacking (I know mine does) so mini cucumbers, celery sticks, Sicilian green olives then perhaps the list of banned lunchbox staples just might. and hummus goes down a treat, or perhaps they enjoy a warm earthy veggie Gone are the days when you could feel good about sending your child off with an egg and lettuce sanga, a muesli bar and a banana for lunch. With many schools forbidding nut products, eggs, egg-based mayonnaise, fish products, bananas, kiwifruit and fruits (and chocolate that may contain nuts) you might be pulling your hair out wondering what you should be packing. Bolognese, maybe you have one with a sweet tooth that would love a smoothie bowls decorated in fruit and a (nut free granola). All of these foods are possible with stainless steel Tupperware - My favourite is the tufferware trio from Seed & Sprout. These metal stacker bowls retain heat/cold and are 100% plastic & leak free - perfect for smoothie bowls and warm meals. So here are my top tips and some lunchbox inspiration. AVOID FOODS THAT CAUSE A SPIKE IN BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS: Complex carbohydrates, protein, healthy fats and fibre will slow down digestion and will (*optional)

LUNCHBOX INSPO 3

• Smoothie Bowl w/ buckwheat granola • Dinner Leftovers (salad, Bolognese, curry, soup) • Chocolate Grackles • Mini Cucumbers, Celery w/ hummus help your child feel full. Furthermore, these foods will provide a gradual supply of

LUNCHBOX INSPO 1

• Fresh berries w/ squeeze Lemon Juice • Curried (“Egg”) Tofu + Lettuce Sandwich (on soy + linseed or rye bread) • Original Salted Seaweed Chips • Brown rice cakes w/tahini + date syrup*

LUNCHBOX INSPO 2

• 2 Medjool Dates + 2 Squares 70% Dark

Chocolate • Hemp Pesto Buckwheat Pasta • Sicilian Green Olives + Cherry Tomatoes • Cheesy Green Popcorn

energy and help your child maintain concentration.