DIET

Childhood Nutrition

Your child's nutrition is important to her overall health. Proper nutrition can also prevent many medical problems, including becoming overweight, developing weak bones, and developing diabetes. It will also ensure that your child physically grows to her full potential.

You can also help promote good nutrition by setting a good example. Healthy eating habits and regular exercise should be a regular part of your family's life. It is much easier if everyone in the house follows these guidelines, than if your child has to do it alone. You should also buy low-calorie and low-fat meals, snacks and desserts, low fat or skim milk and diet drinks. Avoid buying high calorie desserts or snacks, such as snack chips, regular soft drinks or regular ice cream.

The best nutrition advice to keep your children healthy includes encouraging her to:

Eat a variety of foods
Balance the food you eat with physical activity
Choose a diet with plenty of grain products, vegetables and fruits
Choose a diet low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol
Choose a diet moderate in sugars and salt
Choose a diet that provides enough calcium and iron to meet their growing body's requirements.

Your lunch should be a part of your balanced daily diet.  Look up our topic"Balanced diet" if you haven't seen it.

Lunch is an important meal. As you are going to be in school for about 12 years of your life, you will certainly need to get some fresh ideas about what to make from time to time.

After all, the same boring food every day is, well…. boring!

Important things to do

If you are going to make your own lunch then here are some ideas to keep you safe, healthy and out of trouble.

Do
	Ask mum which food you can use [she may be planning to use just what you want].
	Wash your hands before you start.
	Use different chopping boards and knives for meat and vegetables.
	Get everything together that you are going to use.
	Wash and dry salad vegetables. Use a paper towel to dry them properly. [Soggy sandwiches are not too good, especially if you've been looking forward to a nice crisp lunch.]
	Use small knives - they are easier for you to manage.
	Clean as you go. You don't want to be eating a 'germ' sandwich do you?
	Wash your hands if you do something different while you are making your lunch - for the same reason.
	Ask mum to help if you need to grate anything or use anything electrical, like a can opener or a blender.
	When you've finished, wrap the foods you have used or put lids on before you put them away.

Lunch box ideas

We are lucky to have such a wide range of foods nowadays.

People have come from all over the world to make their home in other countries and they have brought some wonderful foods with them.

Bread

You think that's boring? So look around the stores and bakeries and you'll find some very exciting things out there. Here are some of them: white sliced, fortified white, high fibre, brown, wholemeal, wheatmeal, rye, fruit, cheese and chives, pumpkin, pitta, Lebanese, brioche, mountain bread and heaps of others - so there is a big choice for you, and a chance to liven up your sandwich straight away.

Fillings

Remember how to avoid soggy sandwiches? Good because you wouldn't want to spoil these. (Spreading a little butter or margarine on the bread will help keep the sandwich from getting soggy if you have a runny filling to put into it, but most sandwiches do not need a lot of butter or margarine.)
	Cream cheese, chopped celery and sultanas.
	Grated carrot and cheese with 'lite' mayonnaise [mayo]
	Chopped cooked chicken and mayonnaise, with lettuce.

	Grated cheese and chopped celery, or carrot.
	Leftover roast meat with grated carrot, chopped lettuce and chutney or tomato sauce.
	Lean ham, sliced cheese and a pineapple ring [make sure you dry it well].
	Peanut butter and grated carrot. (Peanut butter is a very good food, but some kids are allergic to peanuts. Check with your teacher about whether there is a policy that asks children not to bring peanuts or peanut butter to school.)
	Vegemite**, cheese and tomato.
	Take a roll and a banana to eat together.
	Take a roll, a sliced boiled egg wrapped in food-wrap, and lettuce to build your sandwich when you are ready to eat it.
	Put your fillings inside Pitta bread or roll them inside Lebanese bread [Vegemite** tastes great in either of these]

 *This is a good idea. Wrap any strong smelling foods separately then build your sandwich just when you're ready to eat it, or they tend to be a bit smelly by lunchtime.

What else?

Use rice cakes, English muffins, crispbreads and cracker biscuits with cooked chicken drumsticks, cheese and apple, vegetable slice or leftovers and salads. (Remember that kids need energy, so don't use low energy rice cakes or crispbreads only, because they will not give you enough energy).

		Try to include a piece of fruit and a drink. Frozen water or juice can keep your lunch box cool in summer.
		If you want to drink milk at lunchtime it's best to buy it from the school canteen as milk goes off pretty quickly - or you could freeze a tetra-pack milk drink (one in a sealed carton).
		You can make some special lunch box treats and freeze them for later.

Your family will probably have some favourite recipes but here are a couple of healthy lunches, which some children want to share with you.