Packing a healthy summer lunch box doesn’t have to be complicated. The key is making lunches light and cool and using fresh and seasonal fruit and veg.
Summer fruit makes a refreshing and sweet snack to have at school. Aim for 1 serve in the lunch box.
Try grapes, a mandarin, berries, cut up rockmelon or watermelon or fruit salad.
Vegies are loaded with essential vitamins and minerals and are high in fibre. Aim for 1 serve in the lunch box.
Try salad in wraps and sandwiches, or snack on cherry tomatoes, snow peas, carrot sticks, celery, baby cucumbers or corn cobs.
If you have more time – See our range of recipes for salad inspiration.
Breads and cereals give kids the energy they need throughout the day. Aim to have mostly wholegrain varieties.
Try wholemeal or high-fibre white bread, multigrain crackers or crispbreads or salads containing noodles, pasta or rice.
Check out our colourful and tasty Mexican pasta salad – perfect for making with leftover cooked pasta.
This food group provides protein, which keeps tummies full. It also provides essential nutrients like iron and Vitamin B12 that the body requires.
Tip: Try tuna, salmon, lean lamb or beef, chicken, tofu, lentils and beans in salads and sandwich fillings. Keep it simple with boiled eggs or hummus as a snack. Serve up a substantial salad for dinner, like our Thai beef salad or roast vegie and chickpea salad and have leftovers for lunch.
Dairy provides protein and calcium for healthy bones and teeth. A cold dairy snack makes a refreshing morning tea.
Tip: Pack a container of yoghurt, a carton of milk, our minty yoghurt dip and crackers or put some cheese in a sandwich, wrap or roll.
Water keeps us hydrated, and cool in summer.
Tip: Make it fun; try adding frozen berries or cucumber.
Summer means hot weather, so keeping lunch boxes cold is important. Foods like meat, fish, poultry, tofu and eggs; cooked pasta, noodles and rice; and dairy items such as milk, yoghurt, custard and cheese must be kept cold. Pack an ice brick or a frozen water bottle and use an insulated lunch box to keep food safe. See our blog on Making your lunch box food safe.
© Cancer Council NSW 2024 Head Office Address: 153 Dowling Street, Woolloomooloo NSW 2011. Cancer Council NSW is registered with the Australian Taxation Office as an Income Tax Exempt Charity: Charitable Fundraising Authority No. 18521.
Some images on this site have been supplied by Cancer Council Western Australia's Crunch & Sip website
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