Skip to content

Are you packing a healthy lunch?

Getting the balance right

A packed lunch can make a valuable contribution to your child’s diet and future health. It is important to include a balanced variety of foods so that your child can get all the nutrients they need.

Recent surveys looking at children’s lunchboxes found that they were too high in fat (especially saturated fat), salt and sugar, and just under half of lunchboxes contained no fruit. This leaflet provides practical tips for you and your child on how to prepare a healthier lunchbox. The Eatwell Guide opposite shows the different types of food we eat and the proportions we should aim for to achieve a healthy balanced diet. Foods and drinks high in fat, salt or sugar are not needed in the lunchbox. If included, have less often and in small amounts. Remember to cut down all fats and choose lower fat spreads, cheese and leaner meats in your sandwiches. The table below shows the main contributors.

Name
Fat
Salt
Sugar
Butter/spreads
☑
Crisps
☑
☑
Cheese
☑
Biscuits
☑
☑
Chocolate Bars
☑
☑
Processed Meats, eg Ham
☑
Fizzy Drinks
☑
Ready to Drink Juice Drinks
☑

Tired of packing the same old lunch? Try these ideas to add variety

  • Use different types of bread, such as pitta bread, bagels, wholemeal rolls, wraps or crusty rolls.
  • Cook extra pasta or couscous in the evening and include it as an alternative to bread.
  • Theme your lunchbox on a different country, eg Italy – add a pizza slice, Mexico – fill flour tortillas.
  • Home-made soup (in a thermos flask) is great for cold days, while raw vegetables and salads are light and refreshing for warmer weather. Both are packed with essential vitamins and minerals.
  • Get your child excited about packed lunches. Let them help choose their lunch. Pick a colourful lunchbox or let them decorate one with stickers.

Children often need to see and t aste new foods several times before they accept them, so try out new ideas at teatime or the weekend before including them in a lunchbox.

What to pack in a healthy lunchbox

Potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy carbohydrates

Starchy foods will help your child feel satisfied, as well as being a good source of energy and B vitamins. Choose wholegrain or higher fibre versions with less added fat, salt and sugar. Why not try some of these suggestions?

  • 2 slices of bread
  • 2 small bread rolls
  • 1 tortilla wrap
  • 1 or 2 mini pitta breads
  • 1 scone or currant bun
  • 1 bagel
  • ½ a soda or wheaten farl
  • 2 tablespoons of cooked rice, pasta or couscous
  • A slice of deep pan pizza – choose one with a vegetable or fruit topping, such as pineapple, sweetcorn or peppers

Did you know? If your child doesn’t like wholegrain bread, try the new breads made with half white and half wholemeal flour to boost their fibre intake.

Fruit and vegetables

Help your child get their five a day by putting two portions of fruit and vegetables in their lunchbox (ideally one fruit and one vegetable). A portion could be:

  • 1 medium sized piece of fruit, eg apple, orange, banana, pear
  • 2 small fruits, eg kiwi fruits, satsumas, plums
  • 1 cup of grapes, cherries or berries
  • 1 large slice of pineapple or melon
  • 1 heaped tablespoon of dried fruit, eg raisins, or 3 dried apricots (this should be part of lunch rather than a snack because of its high natural sugar content)
  • 1 cereal bowl of salad, eg lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and celery
  • 3 heaped tablespoons of fresh or frozen veg, eg chopped, sliced or grated carrots, peppers, or sweetcorn
  • 150ml of pure unsweetened fruit juice or fruit smoothie
  • 3 heaped tablespoons of fruit salad (fresh or tinned in fruit juice) or stewed fruit

For younger children (4–6 years), reduce these portion sizes by about half, then increase the amount as they grow. Older primary school children should be eating full portions.
Visit www.nhs.uk/Livewell/5ADAY/Pages/5ADAYhome.aspx for more information.

Dairy and alternatives

Make sure your child is getting enough calcium by putting one of these in their lunchbox:

  • a container/mini-carton of milk (200ml)
  • a pot of yogurt, custard or rice pudding
  • a matchbox-sized piece of cheese such as cheddar, edam or gouda varieties
  • 2 triangles of spreadable cheese

Children over two years of age can have lower fat dairy products if they are eating well. Milk can be plain or flavoured. Flavoured milks are a good source of calcium but have more added sugar than plain milk. Compare brands by checking the nutrition labels, and only offer these at mealtimes.

Did you know? Lower fat milk, cheese and yogurt still has the same amount of calcium as full fat versions, which supports growing bones and teeth.

Beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins

Protein is important to help your child grow, so include one of the following in your child’s lunchbox:

  • 2 slices of cooked meat
  • 2 slices of chicken or turkey breast
  • 1–2 eggs (hard-boiled, sliced or mashed)
  • half a small can of tuna, salmon, mackerel or sardines
  • 2 tablespoons of chickpea spread, eg hummus – try it as a dip with carrots/celery

Try to include a portion of fish at least once a week. Remember to remove any bones and choose tinned fish in spring water rather than in brine or oil.

Did you know? Sliced processed meats are higher in salt than meat you have cooked yourself. Why not use leftovers from dinner the night before?

Nuts and other food allergies

Nuts and nut products are suitable for most people; however, a child who has a nut allergy can be affected even if there are nuts in someone else’s lunchbox. Many schools have a ‘no nuts’ policy but there may also be children in the school with allergies to other foods. Your school will be able to provide advice on what foods should be avoided.

Healthier treats

Many schools are now developing healthy eating policies and are encouraging children and parents not to bring sweets, chocolate, crisps and fizzy drinks for break or lunch. Below is a list of healthier options that can be provided in your children’s lunchbox as a treat.

  • Fruit loaf
  • Mini fruit muffin
  • A plain bun or slice of cake
  • A slice of carrot cake or banana bread
  • Sugar-free jelly pots or fruit jelly
  • Yogurts or pots of custard or rice pudding

Remember Healthier treats may still contain sugar, so these should only be eaten at mealtimes when they are less damaging to teeth.

Thirst quenchers

It is important that children drink enough during the day, so that they don’t become dehydrated and tired. Drinks should always be included for break time and lunch. Water and milk are the most suitable drinks for children. Regularly drinking fizzy drinks, squashes (even the sugar-free ones) and fruit juices can erode the surface of the teeth.

Did you know? If you put fruit juice in your child’s lunchbox, give them a straw, as drinking through a straw can help prevent dental erosion.

Top tips

Help keep lunches cool and safe by following these tips.

  • Sandwiches containing meat or other foods that need to be refrigerated should be kept as cold as possible until lunch.
  • Use an insulated box or bag to help keep lunches cool. Put in a small ice pack or alternatively include a frozen fruit juice carton or bottle of water (fill one third full, freeze and then top up with water). You can even freeze yogurt – this works especially well with tubes and pouches.
  • To keep the cold air in, minimise the number of times your child needs to open the lunchbox. Pack things that don’t need to be kept cold separately.
  • It’s important lunches are not kept in a warm place, such as near radiators or in direct sunlight – ask your child’s teacher if there’s a suitable place for lunches to be stored.
  • Pop in a piece of kitchen roll for wiping sticky fingers or mopping up spills.
  • Always remember to wash your hands before preparing food and remind your child to wash theirs before eating.