Healthy Lunch Workshop

Sarah Elliott ()

The Importance of Good Nutrition

ü  Trains their taste buds for life

ü  Better health outcomes

ü  Less risk of being overweight

o  Children lay their fat stores between the ages of 3-10yrs old.

ü  Optimal growth/health/dental etc...

ü  Ease at meal & snack times

Providing appropriate quantities of foods from the food groups will give your child the right balance of energy and nutrients. The number of serves and serving sizes of each food group depends on their age and activity level.

Parent provides, child decides

Your job to decide:
ü  Number and type of meals/snacks offered
ü  The amount of food available @ these times / Your child’s job to decide:
ü  If they are hungry at meal/snack times
ü  How much, if any, of the food they will eat

The basics......

1.  Wholegrain breads and cereals

-  Aim for 3-4 serves/day (at least half of these wholegrain)

-  Let their appetite be your guide

-  1 serve is the size of their fist, around:

o  Bread/roll/wrap/English muffin

o  Rice/pasta/noodles/couscous/quinoa

o  Porridge

o  Breakfast cereal / untoasted muesli

2.  Fruit and vegetables

-  Aim for 2 fruit & 3 vegetable serves/day

-  1 serve is roughly their handful (not yours!)

-  Range of colours......

3.  Lean meat, poultry, fish, tofu and legumes

-  Aim for 1-1 ½ serves/day

-  1 serve is their palm size

4.  Dairy & alternatives

-  Aim for 2-3 serves/day

-  Choose low fat after 2yrs old

-  1 serve =

o  1 cup milk or calcium-enriched alternative (e.g. soy/rice/oat milk)

o  ½ cup yoghurt

o  30g cheese

o  1 cup custard

5.  Healthy oils – plant oil (e.g. olive, sesame, rice bran), avocado, nuts, seeds

Are they getting Enough Variety?

·  Each type of food gives its own unique contribution to your child’s health.

·  Aiming for variety across and between food groups – can be tricky!

·  Think colours, textures, taste.

·  Main goal: the whole family is offered a variety of _____ each day.

Fruit / Red – grapes, raspberries, plums, watermelon
Yellow – bananas, golden kiwifruit
Orange – mandarin, peaches, orange, apricots, mango
Green – kiwifruit, feijoa, grapes
White – apples, pears, nashi
Breads & cereals / Oats – porridge/crumble/muesli
Wheat – bread/rolls/muffins/pasta/cereal/crackers/wraps
Rye – bread/crackers
Barley – bread/in soups
Rice – brown/white/crackers/noodles
Alternate grains – buckwheat/quinoa/millet
Corn – corn thins/tacos/popcorn
Dairy / Milk
Yoghurt
Ice-cream
Soft cheeses – sour cream, cream cheese, cottage cheese
Hard cheeses – Edam, Noble, Colby, Mild
Meat/alternatives / Red meat – beef, lamb, pork
Poultry – chicken, turkey
Fish
Egg
Legumes – chickpeas, hummus, lentils, baked beans
Tofu
Nuts/seeds – pumpkin seeds, cashew nuts, peanut butter
Vegetables / Red – capsicum, tomato, radish, beetroot
Yellow – capsicum, squash, corn
Purple – eggplant, kumara, cabbage
White – mushroom, potato
Green – spinach, peas, green beans, zucchini, cucumber
Orange – pumpkin, carrot

What can cause mealtime difficulties?

-  Premature/complicated birth

-  Early hospitalisations

-  Medical/developmental conditions

-  Pain/trauma/excessive stress

-  Reflux/vomiting

-  Ear/through/chest infections

-  Allergies/intolerances/constipation

Top Tips for Fussy Eaters

1.  Relax!

ü  Normal developmental stage to show their independence via the foods they will/won’t eat.

ü  1:2 infants/toddlers are reported to have feeding problems.

ü  Children are masters at regulating their hunger so will not under-eat.

ü  Children’s appetite can vary greatly day to day.

ü  Fussy eating rarely leads to long-term growth or nutritional problems.

ü  Don’t make meal times a battle ground; it will only reinforce the behaviour. Toddlers quickly learn if a behaviour is an effective tool for upsetting and controlling adults.

ü  Use calm voices, be consistent, and praise good behaviour.

2.  Be patient

ü  Neophobia – exposure ; try preparing/smelling/licking food first

ü  Research shows when parents offer a vegetable daily for 2 weeks, liking improved in 62% of children.

ü  Often children are slow eaters so give them adequate time to eat their meal/snack.

3.  Make new foods easy to eat and fun

ü  Young children are attracted to colour/shapes.

ü  Allow them to play e.g. squish, mash, mix, swirl. Familiarity = acceptance.

ü  Involve them - choosing/picking/cooking/preparing/serving.

ü  Focus on the food rather than the eating of it – when introducing a new food, talk about the colour, texture, shape, the sound when you bite, how it’s grown it etc...

4.  Be good role models

ü  Children learn from us, so if we enjoy a range of foods, they are more likely to.

ü  Join your children at meal times.

5.  Avoid bribes/blackmail

ü  These give the wrong messages about food e.g. can’t have dessert unless all vege eaten.

ü  Calmly take food away and re-offer it if hungry later.

ü  Children usually aren’t motivated by a food being ‘good for them’.


Healthy Lunch and Snack Ideas

Main goal: Lunchbox to contain:

1.  2 serves of wholegrain bread/cereal

2.  ½ serve of meat/alternatives

3.  1 serve salad/vegetables

4.  1 serve of low fat dairy

5.  Snacks based on fruit/vegetables and dairy

How to get started:

ü  Reduce frequency of white bread and begin with high-fibre white, or a combination of wholegrain/meal and white

ü  Replace ‘sometimes’ foods (e.g. chips, chocolate, sweet biscuits) with yoghurt, cheese or fruit.

ü  Include some salad or vegetables in the sandwiches/muffins or as a snack.

Making it easier:

ü  Involve your child

ü  Plan ahead

ü  Prepare the night before

PEER PRESSURE – children will want to eat similar foods to what their friends eat, especially ‘sometimes’ foods!

Lunchbox fillers

Carbohydrates are vital for energy (both physical and brain!), especially slow releasing. Good examples include most fruit, dairy and wholegrains.

Ideas for vegetables:

·  Cherry tomatoes
·  Corn fritters
·  Cheese & corn muffins
·  Celery sticks with cream cheese
·  Mini vegetable quiches / ·  Carrot/capsicum sticks – with hummus
·  Vege kebabs
·  Pumpkin pikeletes
·  Corn on the cob
·  Baby carrots / cucumber rounds / peas

Fruit:

Bit sized is more fun:
·  Grapes (great frozen)
·  Berries
·  Pineapple chunks
·  Melon balls / ·  Dried fruit – maybe mixed with popcorn
·  Mandarin
·  Pottle of diced fruit
·  Sliced pear/stone fruit/mini apple
·  Squeeze fruits

Freezer friendly:

  • Fritters e.g. pea & corn, pumpkin
  • Savoury/fruit muffins
  • Little ‘pies’ – bread base with egg filling

Dinner leftovers:

  • Homemade pizza (on pitas)
  • Frittata / quiche
  • Fried rice/noodles – contains vege/protein (egg, tofu, chicken etc...)
  • Couscous/pasta/rice/potato salad – toss through liked ingredients e.g. sultanas, orange segments, celery, cheese and some oil based dressing
  • Meatballs / falafel
  • Soup in a thermos
  • Cheese & spinach triangles

Sandwiches and things:

  • Vary the bread

o  Pita bread, mini bagels, corn thins, pita crisps, wraps

  • Triple decker – use brown and white bread and fill with ham, cream cheese and lettuce. Slice into fingers and pack on their sides so your child can see the layers.
  • Make sliced bread into ‘rolls’ (similar to sushi). Remove crusts and flatten slightly. Use a thin spread like vegemite/cream cheese/ham etc.. and roll up. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, refrigerate until chilled, then slice into rounds ~1cm thick.
  • Sushi can be easy to make after some practice and makes great finger food. Uses up leftovers.
  • Marmite & cheese toast fingers

Dairy:

  • Avoid unappetizing warm yoghurt/Calci-yum by freezing it. Or add frozen berries.
  • Cut cheese into triangles
  • Grate cheese into sandwiches/wraps or mix with raisins/cranberries
  • Cheese & vegemite scones
  • Creamed rice or custard are both nice cold
  • For the more adventurous - tzatziki with crackers or veggie sticks
  • Smoothies (add ice so doesn’t become warm)

Other ideas:

ü  Fruit bread

ü  Popcorn

ü  Crunchy cereal

ü  Wholegrain crackers e.g. Vita-Weat, Huntley & Palmers Mixed Grain crispbread

ü  Hard boiled egg

ü  Toasted seeds

ü  Plain biscuit

ü  Pikelets

ü  Pretzels*

ü  Rice crackers*

ü  Salami sticks*

ü  Nuts (at home)

* High in salt

How to get kids involved

·  Start with the shopping list

·  Involve them at the supermarket – make it a game (e.g. look for colours, counting)

·  Have easy foods available for children to access and prepare for snack/meal times

·  Grow vegetables/herbs at home

·  Offer age appropriate tasks in the kitchen e.g. washing, peeling, stirring

·  Share the end product of their cooking with others

·  Have food on the table they can self-serve


Sandwich ideas (from www.healthyfood.co.nz)

·  Mash hard-boiled eggs with mayonnaise and chopped chives. Spread on wholemeal bread.

·  Small grain rolls with avocado, turkey and cranberry; or tuna, avocado and lettuce; or roast beef, chutney and tomato.

·  Split bagels and fill with light cream cheese & jam or smoked salmon and cucumber.

·  Fill pita bread with hummus and grated carrot or pesto, cottage cheese and alfalfa sprouts.

·  Spread fruit bread with soft feta, ricotta or light cream cheese.

·  Keep serves small. Two mini rolls or bagels look more appealing than one big one. Slice sandwiches in triangles or three fingers.

·  Some children are very happy with Marmite, honey or jam. Also offer veges/protein on the side.

·  Cheese crunchies: Spread leftover bread with Marmite and grated cheese, slice and bake in the oven until crunchy. Great for kids who don’t like sandwiches.

·  Roast beef, chutney and lettuce

·  Creamed corn and grated cheese toastie

·  Marmite and sliced avocado

·  Asparagus or banana rolls

·  Avocado and grated carrot

·  Hummus and crunchy sprouts

·  Tuna, hummus and tomato grainy roll

·  Ham and cheese on light rye bread

·  Lebanese wrap spread with peanut butter, rolled and cut in thirds

·  Cucumber, grated carrot and cream cheese

·  Pita bread filled with mini meatballs (left over from dinner), lettuce and chutney or tomato sauce

·  Ploughman’s lunch: bread, hunk of cheese, dollop of relish and a few cherry tomatoes

·  Pita bread with feta cheese and roast vegetables (leftovers from dinner)

·  Tomato, basil and mozzarella in baguette slices

·  Avocado, turkey and cranberry sauce

·  Cottage cheese and chopped dates

·  Marmite, cheese and lettuce

·  Ham and cheese (and chutney or whole grain mustard if your kids like it)

·  Tuna/salmon/chicken mixed with mayo/lettuce or coleslaw

·  Tomato and cheese sandwiches (put the tomato between the cheese to stop bread going soggy)

·  Wraps (cut in smaller bits) with cream cheese, tomato relish, ham, lettuce