COMMUNICATIONS

Back to School Lunches

This month children are returning to school, which means it’s time for parents to start thinking about putting nutritious and safe snacks into lunchboxes.
With many hot days in the weeks to come and lunches sitting in children’s school bags for up to four hours before being eaten, it is important not to provide opportunities for bugs to grow, which may lead to upset stomachs. Children need nutritious lunches that look yummy and are kept cool.

A few handy hints for keeping lunches cool and safe:

Always thoroughly wash and dry hands before preparing school lunches. Lunch boxes sit in school bags all morning, which can provide plenty of time for bacteria to grow if the food is already contaminated.
Lunches can be made the night before and then stored in the fridge. Sandwiches with perishable fillings need to be kept as cold as possible.
Depending on the fillings, sandwiches can be frozen overnight.
Children’s water bottles can be frozen and packed into lunchboxes to keep food cool. They will defrost and be ready to drink by lunchtime but still be cold.
Reusable plastic ice cubes can be scattered through lunch boxes.
Insulated lunchboxes are more effective at keeping food cold.
Children need to be reminded to thoroughly wash hands after going to the toilet and before eating their lunch.
Lunch boxes need to be stored at school in a cool place where they will not be in direct sunlight.

Water Bottles at School
Schools are now encouraging children to bring water bottles to use in the classroom.
However, the water in drink bottles can become contaminated through dirty hands and saliva backwash. They need to be taken home regularly and washed in either hot soapy water and scrubbed with a brush, or put through the dishwasher. Some key points are:

Tell your child not to share their drink bottle.
Keep bottles in a cool place in the classroom.
It is safe to refill drink bottles during the day, as long as you empty them at the end of the day.
Bottles and sipper tops need to go home every one to two days for a thorough wash before reuse.

For further information on keeping school lunches safe and cool contact a Health Protection Officer in the Food Team at Community & Public Health on 03 379 9480.

Nutritional School Lunches
This year a new three-tiered food and beverage classification system will provide guidance for school canteens wanting to provide healthier options for lunch. But it will still be up to parents to decide what goes in their children’s lunch boxes. With 30% of our children either overweight or obese, we need to support changes that will help them learn to make healthy food choices for the rest of their lives.
Research carried out by the Obesity Action Coalition provides evidence that children’s diets can affect their attendance, behaviour and academic outcomes. The food parents provide must help children to concentrate in the classroom, play at breaks and participate in sports.
Children have smaller stomachs than adults so may prefer to have small meals with snacks in between.

Here are some ideas for a healthy lunchbox:

Food

Base the lunch around bread items such as wholegrain or fruit bread sandwiches, pinwheels, rice cakes with toppings, filled pita bread, naan bread, paninis or rolls, small fruit muffins or scones, cold pizza or toasted sandwiches
Add some fruit or vegetables (remember to have two serves of fruit and three of vegetables per day), such as fresh fruit, fruit salad, fruit from a tin or pottle, dried fruit and nuts, vegetable sticks with salsa, hummus or yoghurt dip
You could also add some low-fat yoghurt, plain popcorn or pretzels, a plain biscuit or a muesli bar (look for muesli bars with less than 600kj and 3g of saturated fat per serve).

Drinks
Children need plenty to drink, especially when they are active or hot. They need small drinks often so provide them with a drink bottle filled with water for the classroom, if this is allowed. Water and fat-reduced milk are the best drink choices (look for the green and yellow tops) for children.

For further information contact Nicola Fraher from the Nutrition and Physical Activity Team at Community and Public Health – 3799480 ext 738.

ENDS