Healthy lunch boxes for children
SCHOOL lunchboxes need a healthy overhaul, and should not be too expensive.
According to studies by the British Heart Foundation, just one per cent of primary school children's packed lunches meet the nutritional standard set for school meals in England.
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helpful tips: Paul Lewis with the ingredients for a healthy lunch; two types of fruit juice, two pieces of fruit and a health bar
But to make an interesting lunchbox for a child surrounded by chocolate and sweets and still keep it healthy, is a tough ask.
As a guideline, the NHS is advising that a lunchbox should have starchy foods, such as bread and pasta, protein foods, such as meat, a dairy item, fruit and vegetables.
Sunday and Monday evenings £12.00 per head for an all inclusive meal with Indian and Thai cuisine (normal price £14.50).
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Valid until: Wednesday, July 31 2013
For Paul Lewis, 55, co-owner of Natural Grocery in Bath Road, Cheltenham, eating healthy has become a lifestyle, and something he has done since he was young.
He said: "My partner Mike Fisher was the inspiration behind it. He is always eating healthy and organic food.
"I was brought up on good, healthy food. Children need the right sort of nutrition when they are growing up."
The average cost of a healthy lunchbox including wholemeal bread, butter, eggs, cheddar, ham, apple, orange juice, oat biscuit and bottle of water, costs about £2.65 per day from Whole Food Markets.
A similar healthy lunchbox from Sainsbury's costs around £2.55 per day.
A lunchbox with similar nine items from Natural Grocery costs £2.10.
Paul, born and bred in Cheltenham, said: "The very thought of a huge amount of additives going into your food is simply very off-putting.
"Why put in artificial flavours and ingredients and colours? Food for children should already be colourful enough."
The independent retailer, which aims to have at least 70 per cent of their food organic, has had to compete with a Sainsbury's opening opposite.
"Business has been tough, but we're still here," he added.
"It will be nice to give children the opportunity to eat well and healthy.
"We had parents come in and ask what would make a healthy lunchbox, and we would love to help put them together."
Mother Keri Price, 31, from St Margaret's Cheltenham, said it was important her daughter had a healthy lunchbox.
She said: "I would definitely like her to have some yoghurt and fruit in her lunchbox.
"Those little rice crackers are also quite healthy and water and milk.
"I would have ham or low-fat jam in the sandwich."
Christine Bond, 62, from The Park, Cheltenham, said: "Wheat products, such as wholemeal bread is important, and maybe some pasta and low-fat cheese."
2 Comments
by geraint2010
Tuesday, March 05 2013, 12:07PM
“Yes let's cut the ugly blubber and get compulsory cooking lessons in back in schools NOW! And don't give it any fancy titles "domestic science" or whatever - call it COOKING and be proud of it! After all what is more important than the food you feed yourselves and your children? It is EASY to bulk cook a wide variety of good wholesome meals, which can be frozen for use later. With online recipes abounding there can be no excuse and not only will you know what goes into the food you eat but you will save lots of money too!”
by supernova1
Tuesday, March 05 2013, 11:28AM
“This article is full of individual people with their own different view.
If you asked the same question at a Miccy D's, you'd get exactly the opposite foods on the health divide.
What it needs is for some organisation without a hidden agenda, to take hold of this.
Not a charity.
Not the TV doctors or agony aunts.
Not the BBC or it's leftie propoganda.
Then whover it is, they must work with parents and children.
I've heard of lunch boxes being confiscated at schools, because they don't contain the right items.
This is just fascism.
We need to start educating teenagers, who will shortly become parents.
We want them to eat healthily during pregnancy.
We want them then to feed real foods to their babies.
We want them then to go to nursery actually knowing what is right, and wanting the best, not being dictated to.
Then to school and the same regime.
Hopefully within two generations we can get back to a healthy existence.
But we also need governments to actually ban unhealthy foods from being sold.
It's no good just food labelling.
If there is sh!t food in the shops, just because it says so on the label, it won't stop someone from buying it.
We also need to have compulsory cooking lessons in school.
If we're saying that maths and english are important life skills, then so is being able to make a balanced meal.
But also, we should be allowed our guilty pleasures, and a balanced diet will allow that.
But **** me, we need to do something before this time-bomb covers us all in blubber!”