Packed Lunch Ideas For Parents: 10 Tips For A Healthy Lunch Box

Vitabiotics | Published: 29/09/2022

Packed Lunch Ideas: Read Our 10 Tips For Packing A Healthy Lunchbox For Kids

Read Our 10 Tips For Packing A Healthy Lunchbox For Kids

Do you find it difficult to keep your children's lunchboxes healthy but also exciting enough for them to eat?

You're not alone! Gather some packed lunch ideas from our parent's guide to packing a healthy lunchbox.

Make A Packed Lunch They Will Love

School dinners are currently free for children aged from four-seven in state-funded UK primary schools. Certain criteria mean your child might qualify for a free hot lunch beyond that.

But if you have an older child, or your child prefers a packed lunch, you might opt for a packed lunchbox instead of school dinners.

It can be difficult to come up with different packed lunch ideas every day. Our guide to packing a healthy lunchbox will give you simple ideas on how you can include variety of different foods, so your child doesn't become bored.

Ten Tips For Packing A Healthy Lunchbox

1. Try to include each of the main groups in their lunchbox:

Breads and cereals
Fruit and vegetables
Protein
Milk and dairy products

2. Limit the intake of fats and sugar:

It's likely your school will have guidelines on what you can and can't include, but try and stay away from too much fat or sugar.

If you make your own cakes, try cutting down the amount of sugar and replace it with honey or dried fruits.

When adding meats as fillings, try and use fresh lean meat and not processed meats. It might be a little less convenient, but you'll be cutting out a lot of fat and salt.

3. Mix up the bread

A good packed lunch idea is to not to stick to the same boring bread every day.

Try wholemeal bread, pitta bread pockets, tortilla wraps, French sticks or bagels.

4. Vary sandwich fillings daily

Cheese sandwiches every day of the week can get a bit boring!

Try one of the following:

Tuna (in brine) with sweetcorn, cucumber and reduced fat mayonnaise
Roast chicken salad
Cheese salad
Egg mayonnaise and tomato
Humus and peppers

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5. Or offer an alternative to sandwiches

Alternatively, try and give different foods to break the sandwich routine. These could include:

Small slice of plain or vegetable pizza
Mixed vegetable and rice salad
Small piece of quiche
Kebabs with a yogurt dip
Pasta with salad and grilled chicken or tuna
Roasted vegetables and chicken in a tortilla wrap with salsa

6. Add a semi-sweet or savoury item

Include a semi-sweet or savoury item for after the main meal. Always check with your school first as they might have strict guidelines on what's allowed. Examples of things you could include are:

Currant bun
Low sugar cereal bar (check for nut-free healthy alternatives that don't contain chocolate or sugar)
Flapjack
Small muffin
Small portion of unsalted nuts and currants.

7. Add a dairy product as an extra source of calcium

For a different packed lunch idea, why not try:

Cheese sticks or Babybel
Small pot of low fat fruit yogurt
Small pot of fromage frais

8. Don't Forget Veg

Don't forget to include at least one portion of fruit or vegetables to help achieve the recommended five a day! You could try:

Cherry tomatoes, sliced in half lengthways
Carrot and cucumber sticks
Small lunchbox veg, e.g. mini whole cucumbers
Sliced peppers

9. And Fruit

Piece of fruit e.g. apple, banana, satsuma or peach
Small handful of chopped grapes or soft berries
Slices of melon
Small portion of dried fruit. A small box of raisins or 3 dried apricots counts as one portion of the 5 a day recommendation.

10. Make Sure They Keep Hydrated

It is important for your child to keep hydrated throughout the day. Make sure they have a water bottle at school and take regular drinks.

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Meet the Author

Gill Crawshaw

Copywriter / Editor of TalkMum Blog

Gill Crawshaw

Copywriter / Editor of TalkMum Blog

Pregnancy and parenting editor and writer, mum of two Gill Crawshaw is the editor of the TalkMum blog, and a writer who specialises in pregnancy and parenting. With over 18 years experience in digital content creation, she also writes the blog A Baby On Board, which covers the parenting journey. Gill has two tween-age children and lives in south London.