How to pack a balanced lunch box:

• Cover the 5 food groups to ensure that your child is receiving all the nutrients they need.
• For example: fruit, chopped vegetables, small tub of yoghurt, wholegrain sandwich with cheese and salad.
• Include protein (egg, tofu, tuna, lean meat, baked beans seeds, nuts (if permitted), dairy) & slow release carbohydrates (wholegrain breads, crackers, dairy foods, fruit, popcorn, pasta spirals, other grains). This will ensure they do not come home starving and over consume during the afternoon and evening.
• Present the same foods in different ways: e.g. cucumber slices, sticks, whole baby cucumbers
• Treat foods should only appear sometimes, once every week or two. Consider where your child may be receiving other treats, do they need them in their lunches too? (This includes home baked goods, muesli bars, fruit straps, pretzels, juice, chips, etc.)
• Involve the children in lunch prep – ask what they would like within reason e.g. carrot or cucumber
• Continue to send new foods, even if they come home at first. If they are not offered, your child will never try them. Presenting foods frequently helps to normalise them as part of their daily diets.
• If lunch comes home uneaten, offer as an after school snack, before offering an alternative.
• If your child only likes Vegemite sandwiches, switch to wholegrain bread, add some fruit, veg & dairy to their lunch boxes for balance.