This morning I headed over to the local toddler group down at church (car full of treats) with a mission to change lunch boxes. It’s back to school time (OK I’m abit late) and I wonder if parents know what exactly is lurking in their children lunch boxes?
I compared one ‘standard’ lunchbox to a healthy one I put together. They were shocked at the amount of additives in the rubbish one (43) and the amount of sugar!
It can be about simple swaps, my lunchbox featured:
Hummus (protein) with sunflower seeds (healthy fats)
Carrot sticks and sugar snap peas (veggies, antioxidants, nutrients)
Gluten free oat cakes (to dip into the hummus)
Bio-live organic yogurt (good bacteria for their little tummies)
Celery with cashew butter (protein and healthy fats)
Nutty 9 bar (healthy snack rich in omega 3)
Orange
Water
This would serve your child so much better during their school day, 4 of their veggies, protein, omega 3 healthy fats, good bacteria and hydration with zero additives and zero sugar. Just goodness. This will give them energy to play and work. The seeds, hummus and nut butter would balance their blood sugar so hopefully no tantrums.
We also compared some well know cordials, yogurts, breads, calcium rich foods and cereals.
There was a lot of chat, tips, ideas and happy mums.
(The berry smoothies went down well with the tots aswell, as did the Peppa Pig).
“Apple, orange, banana, pear and pineapple too, eat 5 pieces of fruit a day because their good for you” (Peppa has a powerful message)
I found myself talking to the parents a lot about what is in the food, to really look at the ingredients and hold it in their hand and ask “What is in this?”
I got them to think:
“Will this help my child thrive?”
“How will this affect their mood?”
“Are we counting nutrients or additives?”
My belief is that children don’t want to throw paddies, they don’t want to have strops, it’s confusing to them and I know when I’m stroppy it doesn’t feel nice. However, of course they will throw tantrums and misbehave if we don’t feed them the right food. If they are hopped up on sugary drinks and additives then what do we expect? We are responsible for feeding and nourishing our child because they rely on us for everything including what foods we give them.
Of course it’s not always easy when life is so busy, they typically want the rubbish food, but gently explaining “If you have all these sweets they won’t make you feel nice inside”. Maybe something to think about and try? Let me know how you get on.
P.S Everything featured in my lunchbox can be bought from your local supermarkets, try the ‘gluten free’ isle
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