In Norway, most children who attend primary school eat breakfast at home before they go to school. They also bring packed lunches to eat over the noon hour.
(In the articles that follow you can get inspired to make colourful and healthy lunch boxes that everyone will enjoy - please see the links below). When returning home from school, children are often hungry and need some nutritious snacks. Therefore, it is wise to always have some healthy food easily available in the kitchen, snacks that the kids can serve themselves. Excellent food choices to have on hand are fruit and vegetables with tasteful dips and spreads like hummus, almond butter or avocado cream; slices of bread with ready-cut toppings like fruit and vegetables; a bowl of fruit and veggies ready to throw in a blender to make a delicious and colourful smoothie.
After school, if your children are very active and into activities like working out and/or training for sports, it is also a great idea to give them a banana and a bottle of water they can carry in their bag. When children do vigorous exercise, like swimming, dance, playing tennis or soccer, they use a lot of energy and, therefore, need to rehydrate with water and refuel with carbohydrate rich foods, like bananas, when they finish. Having snacks and drinks ready to go in their backpacks are key. Just make sure to talk to your children to find out what their most favourite snacks are. Some kids might prefer an apple to a pear or a sandwich over an energy bar, while others might like healthy baked chips with a dip or delicious spread. Make sure to also keep things interesting by rotating the type of snacks to prevent them from getting tired of certain foods. And try to keep the lines of communication always open about food.
Overall, studies show that school children eat too much sugar and saturated fat, in addition to getting too little fruit, vegetable, fiber and vitamin D. While this may not apply to you, or your children, it is worth knowing that by making these healthy and conscious food choices for your children, you are doing an immense favor for their little lives and everything in between, including their physical and mental health. To see what these exciting and delicious lunch boxes contain, please click the links below with Healthy Lunch Box Ideas.
