Healthy School Lunches

Starting your kids off right by packing school lunches with nutritious foods that taste good will help them establish healthy eating habits for life. Instead of a sandwich on white bread, bag of chips, and cookies, try some of the following healthy (and more interesting) items for your child's lunch box:

Wraps made with whole wheat tortillas, containing either lean cold cuts or low fat cream cheese topped with veggie slices. Even the classic PB and J (peanut butter & jelly) is healthier in a wheat wrap.

Or mash an avocado with lemon juice, and then spread on a whole wheat wrap. Top with chopped tomatoes, and thinly sliced romaine lettuce. Roll up and wrap in parchment or wax paper to secure

Trail mix made with cereals, nuts, pretzels, dried fruit or raisins, and a few chocolate morsels.

Low fat cheese spread on whole wheat crackers.

Individual serving-sized packages of low fat yogurt, cottage cheese, or yogurt smoothies.

Baby carrots, celery sticks, or apple slices with dips made from yogurt or low fat sour cream.

Baked chips or pretzels are a better choice than high-fat potato chips or cheese snacks.

Drinks made from water with a splash of cranberry, peach, grape, or other fruit juice are healthier than sodas. Excess consumption of pure sugar-laden juices can increase the risk of obesity.

Whole grain bagels topped with cream cheese-vegetable spread.

Air-popped popcorn flavoured with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

Low fat cheese cubes and seedless grapes make a delicious side dish for sandwiches or wraps.

Dried cranberries or cherries are a sweet alternative for kids bored with raisins.

Peanut butter packs protein, healthy fat, and vitamin E. You just need to vary the jelly and white bread, says Katie Morford, R.D., author of Best Lunch Box Ever. If your child has a tree-nut or peanut allergy or his school is peanut-free, make these lunches with sunflower seed, pumpkin seed, or soynut butter.

Top tips for healthy lunchbox eating

Think about what your child likes to eat at home and try to translate that into a lunchbox option.

Vegetables are often overlooked in the lunchbox. Try cutting up some carrot sticks or putting in a handful of cherry tomatoes.

While the humble apple is a great lunchbox filler (sturdy and hard to squash), consider cutting softer fruit up and putting it into a smaller container for protection. Berries and kiwi fruit survive very well this way.

Last night's leftovers in a container with a small spoon can make a welcome change to the parade of endless sandwiches.

Try putting together a small picnic in her lunchbox - slices of tomato, grated carrot, grated cheese and some bread and butter - so she can build her own sandwich.

And a healthy sandwich with low-fat mayo is just a start, says Joy Bauer, MS, RD, CDN, best-selling author of Joy Bauer's Food Cures: Treat Common Health Concerns, Look Younger and Live Longer. "Fiber in produce is also extremely important because it slows the absorption of carbohydrates into the system, which also keeps blood sugars level. There should be at least one fruit or vegetable in every school lunch or lunchbox, and preferably both."

Tap into your kids’ creative side by following a theme.

Cut a baked chicken breast into strips, and pack them with honey mustard for dipping. Add carrots and broccoli to dip in fat-free or low-fat ranch dressing.

Make an inside-out sandwich using lettuce to wrap fat-free or low-fat cheese, and tomato.

Keep it interesting

Pack a small amount of many foods. Use lots of containers or a bento-type lunch box to keep things interesting.

Bento boxes are lunch boxes with lots of small containers or places for different types of food. They’re a fun way to offer healthy foods. Cut sandwiches into fun shapes, add colourful fruits and vegetables in different sizes, and pack yummy dips such as fat-free or low-fat yogurt or hummus.

Skip the white bread

Mix it up. Use whole-grain breads, pitas, and tortillas.

And try new fillings.

Fill a pita with your kid’s favourite veggies. Add hummus for flavour.

Spread pizza sauce on a whole-wheat tortilla, add low-fat or fat-free mozzarella cheese, then melt,

roll, and slice.

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