KNAPSACKS AND COLD PACKS Your Guide to Packing Healthy School Lunches NFS 30.31 August 2015
Eating for learning Healthy eating is important at every age. Children and youth that eat well feel well. They are also better able to learn and play at school. Encourage children to enjoy a variety of foods from Canada s Food Guide every day. Packing healthy school lunches Make Canada s Food Guide your go-to tool for packing healthy lunches. Aim to pack three (3) to four (4) food groups for lunch. Include at least two (2) food groups for snack. Add FUN to your child s lunch! Use cookie cutters to cut sandwiches, fruits or vegetables into shapes. Add a surprise like a joke, note, cartoon, stickers, or special straw. How will I know if my child is getting enough? Ask them! Your child s appetite is the best way to decide how much food to pack. The amount of food a child needs depends on their age, if they are a boy or a girl, and how active they are. Your child s appetite is the best way to decide how much food to pack. Start by packing about half of the food your child needs in one (1) full day, from morning to bedtime. If your child says they are still hungry after lunch, pack more. 1
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Talk with kids! Children are the experts on what they like to eat. Talking with your child can help guide what and how their school lunch is packed. Go through Canada s Food Guide together. Pick out favourite foods that your child is willing to try. Let them choose what goes in their lunch. Find out what types of activities your child does in the day. Make sure they are eating the foods best suited for their needs. Children are more likely to eat lunches that they help plan and prepare. Cook with Kids! Cut food in bite-sized pieces, use easy-toopen containers and peel fruit, like oranges, ahead of time. This will give kids more time to eat! Kids can help prepare their lunch. This is a great way to support what your child will learn at school about healthy eating. It also helps children develop simple food skills at an early age. Encourage tasks based on your child s skill and confidence level. For example, older kids can help peel, cut, or chop food. Younger ones might wash vegetables and fruits, or put food into containers. 3
Make-your-own lunch kits! Kids often want the fun, packaged foods they see on TV or in their friends lunches. These options can be costly and do not offer the nutrition your child needs. Make your own lunch kits using reusable containers with compartments. Mix and match from the foods below! Vegetables and Fruit Grain Products Milk and Alternatives Meat and Alternatives Baby carrots Celery sticks Bagels cut-up Tortillas/wraps Yogurt (fruit-flavoured or add fruit to plain yogurt) Cubes of leftover ham, chicken, turkey or beef Strips of sweet pepper Slices of cucumber Cherry tomatoes Broccoli or cauliflower florets Salsa for dipping Pita pockets Dry breakfast cereal Crackers Pasta salad Rice Mini muffin Cheese cubes or slices Yogurt dip Cheese strings Pudding made with milk Mini yogurt/yogurt tubes Hard-cooked egg, sliced Hummus or bean dip Sunflower or pumpkin seeds Dried fruit Water and white milk are the best choices to pack for your children. Choose these beverages most often. Pack water in your child s lunch every day. Choose chocolate milk and 100% fruit juice less often. 4
Plan and prepare meals ahead of time! When making weekend meals, make extra and freeze leftovers into individual portions. These make quick and easy lunches later in the week. Cut up vegetables and fruits at the beginning of the week. Store in the refrigerator for easy access to healthy snacks all week long. Batch cook! Cook or prepare a large amount of food once and enjoy different lunches later in the week. Foods like a whole chicken or a bowl of pasta noodles are great for this. With a little imagination their leftovers can be transformed! For example, the meat from the same whole chicken can make: Build-your-own chicken wraps; Chicken salad and cracker bites; Cold chicken legs and veggies. Keep foods safe with these simple rules: Keep cold foods cold (colder than 40 C) Use an ice pack, frozen juice box or yogurt to keep foods cold. Keep hot foods hot (hotter than 60 C) Use a thermos to keep foods hot. TIP: Warm the thermos with boiling water. Drain and then add hot food. Use an insulated lunch bag Keep hands, food, utensils, and work areas clean Wash with hot, soapy water before and after. Throw out leftovers. Do not reuse plastic wrap, tin foil, or plastic bags. Soggy Sandwich Solution! Pack wet ingredients like cucumbers, tomatoes, and spreads on the side. Let your child add them to their sandwich at school. 5
For more information, contact: Hastings Prince Edward Public Health Tel. 613-966-5500 or toll-free 1-800-267-2803 Public Health is committed to providing accessible programs and services to all. To request this or any other publication in an alternate format, please contact 613-966-5500 or by email at accessibility@hpeph.ca. Adapted with permission of the Brant County Health Unit and from the Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit, 2015.