Guide to Healthy Eating

Children need to eat a variety of foods everyday to be healthy. Parents can give children a healthy school snack and lunch that tastes great and is good for them too.

What is Healthy School Food?
Start by choosing a variety of foods using the Healthy Eating Pyramid as a guide. This will ensure that your child is receiving adequate nutrition during the day.
Don’t forget to include breads and cereals (bread, cold rice or pasta etc), fruit and vegetables and moderate amounts of dairy and meat or meat alternatives. Try a range of breads such as sliced bread (white, white high fibre, wholemeal, multigrain,); pita bread; wraps and bread rolls. Use a variety of fillings to keep children interested.

Try to include some dairy produce and in particular watch that your children are not replacing milk with juice all the time.  Don't forget water is an ideal drink for children. Fizzy drinks are not suitable for a school lunch box. Please do not use glass bottles.
Choose healthy snack food options including cheese sticks, canned or fresh fruit, and rice cakes. 

Save sweet and fatty treats for special occasions. In most children’s lives there are more than enough birthdays, holidays and other special occasions. They are not necessary in the school box.

The Healthy Eating Pyramid.

The base of the pyramid is the foundation of a healthy, nutritious day's intake. Try to include at least two servings in lunch from these all-important sources of carbohydrates, our energy source. Moving up the pyramid, fruits and vegetables add great colour, texture, and taste variety to the snack/lunchbox, not to mention the nutrients and fibre they offer. The standards are pineapples, bananas, melons and oranges (peel and section before packing). Sprinkle lemon juice on apple slices to prevent browning. Flavoured yogurt makes a great dip for fruit, as does peanut butter. Try dried fruits.  

Vegetables don't have to be boring. Baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, capsicums and celery sticks are probably the easiest vegetables to send for hand held eating. Try including finely chopped vegetables in sandwich fillings. Vegetables are often more acceptable in their raw state.
Moving up the pyramid again, we enter into the protein zone. Consider a few non-traditional choices such as sandwiches made with cheese or cream cheese and thinly sliced apples. Or try cream cheese mixed with crushed pineapple. Lunch doesn't have to be your typical sandwich fare. Include vegetables, chunks of cheese and meat. Besides considering the specific food, also consider the presentation of the food. Sandwiches can be cut into fun shapes by using cookie cutters. Mix up the colour and textures.

The Milk and Dairy group offers another great source of protein, as well as the all-important calcium for active, growing children. There are many sources beside the typical fluid milk. Cheese offers a great source of protein and calcium.

Tuck something special into your child's lunch once in a while: A note from Mum or Dad, a small treat or surprise, an invitation for an after school treat, etc. Make lunch a fun time of day for your child; send theme napkins on special holidays and birthdays. Kids like things in "their size" servings. Lunch periods are short so lunches should be easy for the children to eat so don't send too much. Send fruit that has already been peeled and chopped. If your child has a small appetite at home, remember to keep portions small in order to cut down on waste. The best way to ensure that your child eats what you send is to include them in the process. Let them take part in menu planning, shopping and preparation (do as much the night before as possible to cut down on morning hassles).

Keeping food cool.

It is important to keep school lunches cool.  Foods such as meat or cheese sandwiches, milk, cheese and yoghurt need to be kept cool. Here are some ideas:

• To keep food fresh put them in snap-lock plastic bags.

• Get a lunch box that includes a small water bottle. Fill bottle with water and freeze it. Or use refreshable ice packs to help keep foods cold and fresh.

• Place in lunch box to keep food cold.

• Freeze small tetra packs of milk or juice

• If you make lunches the night before, keep them in the fridge overnight

The Lunch Box
Thermal/insulated lunch boxes (both soft and hard) are available in Miri. The children need one box that is easy and small enough to carry to and from school.
Only one box per child should be required. Both morning snack and the lunch can be stored in the same box. Make sure that your children know which food is meant for which break. Different coloured plastic containers will help.
Please clearly label all the boxes with your child’s name.

Take Home

It is important that you know what your children eat at school. Consequently the staff will ensure that only the minimum amount of sharing takes place and that uneaten food will be returned home in the box.

Here is an example morning break:

Food	Food Group
Scone Banana Cheese silice Water	Bread or cereal fruit dairy

And an example lunch:

Food	Food Group
Sandwiches Salad filling for the sandwich Tuna or other lean meat Apple Milk or water	Bread or cereal vegetable meat fruit dairy

Please use this information as a guide only. Parents know what their children best require for their daily diet.