Media Release 20 January 2012
Thinking Outside the Lunchbox
With the start of the school year just around the corner, 5+ A Day has fun fresh ideas to get Mums and Dads thinking
outside the square when it comes to the kids’ lunches.
5+ A Day advocate and leading nutritionist, Claire Turnbull, who runs Mission Nutrition and is the nutritionist for
Healthy Food Guide Magazine, says school lunches provide a great opportunity to work more fruit and vegetables into your
child’s diet, giving the energy and nutrients they need to get the most out of their learning day.
Claire suggests a great way to get kids eating more fruit and veg by making them look fun, and involving children in the
process of preparing lunches.
“While kids may be reluctant to eat whole pieces of fruit, they love food they can eat with their fingers,” says Claire.
“Choose colourful fruit and vegetables and chop them up into small bite sized pieces that can be stored in small
containers or slipped into sandwiches and wraps.
“Incorporating fruit and vegetables into lunches doesn’t need to be a covert operation,” adds Claire. “Kids love the
opportunity to help Mum and Dad in the kitchen and they are more likely to eat lunches they have helped make themselves.
It’s also a great way to teach kids how to make healthy choices.”
Claire also recommends introducing children to new foods at home first before including them in their lunchbox.
“Children are less likely to eat food that is foreign to them,” says Claire. “By including new food types and styles in
family meals first, children are more likely to eat them when they see it in their school lunches.”
Here are five fun, tasty and healthy lunchbox ideas that will go some way to achieving 5+ servings of fruit and
vegetables during the school day:
• For a nutritiously packed lunch that maximises brain power, try egg and lettuce wholemeal sandwiches cut into
triangles for fun and easy handling. Pack a low fat yogurt and a small banana – try drawing a face on the skin for some
added fun!
• For a delicious and healthy alternative to sandwiches, a potato frittata wedge packed with chopped courgette, onion,
corn, spinach, mushroom and/or tomato - anything goes in this great lunch option. Pop chunks of cheese and cherry
tomatoes in a small container for added protein, vitamins and minerals to help your childrens’ bodies and brains work to
their full potential. To complement the frittata, a homemade mini banana bran muffin adds extra fibre to this lunchbox
and makes it a great filling snack so that the kids don’t run out of steam before the day is out. Finally, add a piece
of fruit of your choice to round out the nutrition content.
• Kids love pizza! Leftover homemade pizza slices with their favourite vegetables such as mushrooms, tomato, baby
spinach, corn, courgette and onion are always a lunchbox favourite and a great way of getting a few extra vegetables in
at lunchtime. Making a wholemeal pizza base will add a little more fibre keeping kids fuller for longer. Add a small
container of berries and grapes packed with antioxidants. Cucumber sticks make a fresh, healthy addition to this
lunchbox combo.
• Sushi with tuna and avocado along with a handful of carrot sticks makes a tasty lunch providing carbohydrate for brain
fuel and a good vitamin boost. Add strawberries or apple slices for a nutrition boost
• A wholemeal roll or wrap with ham and cheese, lettuce, grated carrot and cucumber makes a tasty protein packed
lunchbox staple and is a fantastic way of adding more vegtables into their day. You can include sliced tomato in a small
snap lock bag so the children can add at lunchtime – this stops the roll going soggy. A pottle of chopped fruit in juice
makes a good alternative to fresh fruit.
To keep lunches nice and cool, particularly during the warmer months of the year, Claire recommends using a “chilly
block” and laying it at the bottom of your child’s lunchbox or bag. To make a chilly block simply freeze a small bottle
of water and add to the box to keep it chilled or just use a store bought chilly block placed in the freezer the night
before.
For more fun fresh lunchbox ideas, visit http://www.5aday.co.nz.
ENDS