Josh's lunchbox
How can we ensure our children eat a balanced diet? As parents, this can feel like a big question and it's easy to get lost in the weeds. Helping to shed some light on healthy lunchbox options, our Loveable Lunchboxes campaign saw us enlisting the help of nutrition professionals. Here nutrition therapist Jo Rowkins takes a look inside Josh's lunchbox and offers feedback.
What's in Josh's lunchbox?
Josh is six years old and in his lunchbox is a tuna salad flatbread (wholemeal), a fruit pot, salad pot, cheddar cheese cubes, a small seeded flapjack and water.
What does the expert say?
"This is a fabulous lunchbox!" Jo says, giving the meal a four out of five.
"Lean protein from the fish, wholemeal wrap, lots of fresh fruit and raw veg, a small cheese chunk - a little cheese is ideal rather than overloading the meal with it which can be too easy to do as most children love cheese.
"A small seeded flapjack, if made without sugar, should be a good source of healthy fats and a wholesome 'sweet'. Thirsty children need water, not juice or squash, so glad to see water included!"
What swaps could be made?
Overall Jo is happy with this meal, though she does remind us to keep tuna intake to once a week.
"I would suggest using tuna ideally only once a week because of its potential mercury contamination. Smaller oily fish are a great option - sardines, mackerel and wild salmon."
Further support
If you want to learn more about providing balanced meals for little ones, head to our healthy eating for kids hub and explore more lunchbox ideas. You may also find it helpful to work with a nutrition professional to get more bespoke support for your child's diet.
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