Mandy Francis - Healthy Childrens Lunches: 52 Brilliant Little Ideas for Junk-Free Meals Kids Will Love

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Follow the tips in this book and you should find that youre able to reduce the amount of junk food your children eat at lunch time while still giving them food they love. Never put your child on a diet and if youre worried about his or her weight or are thinking of radically changing his or her diet you should consult a doctor. Good luck and happy cooking.

Infinite Ideas would like to thank Sally Brown, Kate Cook and Mandy Francis for their contributions to this book.

Copyright The Infinite Ideas Company Ltd, 2007

The right of the contributors to be identified as the authors of this book has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

First published in 2007 by
The Infinite Ideas Company Limited
36 St Giles
Oxford, OX1 3LD
United Kingdom
www.infideas.com

Reprinted 2007

All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of small passages for the purposes of criticism or review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except under the terms of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 or under the terms of a licence issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4LP, UK, without the permission in writing of the publisher. Requests to the publisher should be addressed to the Permissions Department, Infinite Ideas Limited, 36 St Giles, Oxford, OX1 3LD, UK, or faxed to +44 (0)1865 514777.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 978-1-905940-10-3

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Brilliant ideas

Now youve decided that youd like your children to eat healthy packed lunches here are a few practical tips to get you started.

Its easier to cut back on excess sugar in your familys diet than you might think.

How much salt do they really need?

You could be forgiven for thinking that some of those packaged foods aimed at kids are healthy.

Wrong lets see what those reduced claims on the label really mean.

How can you tell whether the flavour comes from something real or is just synthetic?

Do you really know what those low fat label claims mean?

How can you get your vegetablephobic children to eat their greens?

Do you sometimes think you need to take a chemistry exam to understand food packaging?

Confused about what your child should be eating when he starts school? Look no further.

These dont just have to be a piece of cheese or ham slapped in between two slices of bread. Read on

Children should ideally eat at least two portions of fruit a day, since theyre packed with valuable nutrients and fibre.

Find out what your 710 year olds need.

The building blocks of the ideal packed lunch.

Heres a run down of the worst things you can put in your childs lunch.

Brown, white, wholemeal, granary, multigrain, pitta or ciabatta which bread is best for your child?

If youre worried your child may be overweight read on.

All children need some fat in their diets, but it has to be the right kind.

Chicken can vary enormously in taste and texture, depending on the quality of bird that you buy.

Pasta is a good source of carbohydrate for your childrens lunches.

Here are a few ideas to help you keep fats at a healthy level.

Kids will love this versatile food.

Basic nutrition know-how to help if your childs just turned veggie.

How do you know whether a product youre buying is high or low in fat?

A handy, filling food packed with energy-boosting carbohydrates potatoes are the main ingredient for a host of quick-to-make dishes children will love.

There are shoals of tasty fish varieties out there just waiting to be turned into healthy, child-friendly meals.

Red meat has had a bad press over the last few years but dont rule it out of your childs diet. Its a great source of important nutrients.

Dont dismiss pulses as vegetarian fodder.

Tempt your kids away from those processed, stringy cheese sticks with a little imagination.

Eggs are a good source of protein and a brilliant stand-by for a quick, healthy lunch.

Consistently voted the number one favourite food by children, even the healthiest diet has to find room for a little chocolate now and again.

A healthy diet doesnt mean pudding has to be off the menu.

Smoothies and shakes really are a great way to bump up your childs daily fruit intake.

Teaching your children to cook is one of the very best ways to encourage them to adopt healthy eating habits.

Boost your familys immune systems with the right diet and lifestyle habits to fight off some of the worst infections.

Feeding your children healthily neednt be expensive if you follow these tips.

Here are some more tips on keeping the weekly food bill down.

How can you minimise the amount of salt your children eat?

If you make a few lunchbox favourites and keep them in the freezer you wont spend all of your evenings making up packed lunches.

How to encourage hungry teens to eat nutritious meals.

All children need an adequate intake of calcium, to help with bone and dental health.

Make sure your kids arent missing out on this essential mineral.

The good news is, many children do eventually go on to outgrow their food allergies and intolerances.

Make sure what they eat for morning break is healthy too.

Hit the jackpot with these exciting alternatives to apples, pears and bananas.

Many schools run breakfast clubs and if you drop your child off early in the morning for one of these youll need to provide something substantial for him to eat.

Whilst the odd bag of sweets will not do any harm its important to cut down on your familys everyday consumption of sugar.

What to do if you think your child is overweight.

The best food you can buy for your family or just a big con?

When is fat good for your kids?

Healthy eating starts with the shopping trip.

Challenge your childs palate with some unusual foods and flavours.

Have you been making nothing but processed cheese sandwiches for the last few weeks? Do you always end up packing your little angel off to school with crisps and chocolate bars because youre worried she wont eat anything else? You are not alone. If youve run out of lunch box ideas or simply dont know where to start this little book will give you the inspiration youre looking for.

A well-balanced packed lunch will provide your child with all the energy and nutrients she needs for a busy day at school or nursery. But according to a recent survey of childrens lunch boxes, carried out by the Food Standards Agency, the contents of most packed lunches are way too high in saturated fats, sugar and salt. The same survey also showed that almost of half of the lunch boxes examined did not contain fruit and that most of the lunches included heavily processed snacks, crisps, chocolate, biscuits and sugary fizzy drinks.

Whilst its tempting to include junk food treats in your childs lunch box or processed foods that have been heavily advertised on TV dont. A meal thats poor in nutrients and high in salt, sugar and fat will sap your childs energy levels and mental alertness and over time could even set the foundations for future health problems and obesity.