I asked a nutritionist to rate my kids’ lunchboxes. The answer shocked me
“We don’t need to hold ourselves to the absolute gold standard day after day.”
If all this sounds like a humblebrag, I’d like to apologise because it’s not.
Nutritionist Rebecca Farletti says families should model healthy eating in a relaxed environment at home.
I’m blessed to generally not have struggles with fruit and veggies – my issue is uneaten sandwiches, particularly since my oldest graduated from kindy and started prep.
There’s so much to squeeze into a school day, teachers are stuck between a rock and a hard place trying to manage all the competing priorities.
But with just 15 minutes of eating time before play at both the first and second break, I think my son runs out of time to eat his sandwich.
Farletti’s sandwich tips – which coincide with National Lunchbox Week, from February 9 to 15 – include cutting sandwiches differently, experimenting with a wrap, or trying different fillings.
“I think one of my key tips is to be curious about why these foods are coming home,” she said.
“Maybe it’s getting a bit repetitious, or maybe, is the sandwich feeling a little too warm by the time it’s lunchtime, and could an ice pack be included in the lunchbox?”
Farletti says children should have at least one item from each of the five food groups in their lunchbox – fruit, vegetables, dairy, grains and protein.
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Recommended daily serving sizes and what that means in terms of actual apples, glasses of milk and slices of toast for each age group make my head hurt, so here’s a handy flyer to explain it all.
Farletti says for children starting primary school, parents can stick to familiar or well-liked foods for lunchboxes, particularly when kids are juggling new friends and classroom environments.
“I think maybe the best takeaway is just find an opportunity to add one more veggie somewhere,” she said.
Only 4 per cent of children eat enough vegetables to nourish their growing bodies, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ 2022 National Health Survey.
The gold standard is a high bar, but I’m going to start with an extra slice of tomato.
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