Leanne Katzenellenbogen - Simple, Fabulous Lunchbox ideas

Published in 2013 by Struik Lifestyle (an imprint of Random House Struik (Pty) Ltd)
Company Reg. No 1966/003153/07
Wembley Square, Solan Road, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
PO Box 1144, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa www.randomstruik.co.za Copyright in published edition: Random House Struik (Pty) Ltd 2012
Copyright in text: Leanne Katzenellenbogen 2012
Copyright in photographs: Random House Struik (Pty) Ltd 2012 ISBN 978-143230-087-6 (Print)
ISBN 978-143230-150-7 (e-Pub)
ISBN 978-143230-151-4 (Pdf) All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, digital, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers and the copyright owner(s). Publisher: Linda de Villiers
Managing editor: Cecilia Barfield
Design manager: Beverley Dodd
Editor and indexer: Anja Grobler
Designer: Helen Henn
Stylist: Lisa Clark
Stylist assistant: Sara Lohmaier
Photographer: Denver Hendricks
Proofreader: Bronwen Leak Contents Introduction This book is in no way meant to replace the advice of a dietitian. The recipes can be included as part of a balanced diet, but should you or anyone in your family require advice for a specific nutritional problem, please consult a dietitian. When planning the contents of a lunchbox it is important to choose food that is healthy and varied, but it is equally important to choose tasty food to avoid the meal returning home uneaten.

There are several nutrition tools that can be used to help you plan the contents of a lunchbox. The following Food Based Dietary Guidelines were developed by the South African National Department of Health. The current guidelines are:

1. Enjoy a variety of foods.
2. Make starchy food part of most meals.
3. Fish, chicken, lean meat or eggs can be eaten daily.
4. Have milk, maas or yoghurt every day.
5. Eat plenty of vegetables and fruit every day.
6. Eat dry beans, split peas, lentils and soya beans regularly.
7. Use salt and food high in salt sparingly.
8. Use fat sparingly; choose vegetable oils rather than hard fats.
9. Use sugar and food and drinks high in sugar sparingly.
10. Drink lots of clean safe water.
11. Be active!

Another really useful and important tool (which has replaced the food pyramid) that is used to plan meals and can be used to plan the contents of a lunchbox is the eatwell plate (www.food.gov.uk). The model plate shows the relative amount of food that should be eaten (e.g. the bigger part of the plate shows fruit and vegetables, which means we should eat more from those food groups) and also which food groups to choose from in order to plan a healthy balanced lunchbox. The size of the plate differs between children and adults (it is totally dependent on the individual), but the general principle remains the same.

The food groups illustrated on the plate are:

1. Bread, rice, potatoes and other starchy foods this food group is important because its the bodys main source of energy. Foods in this group are absorbed into the bloodstream at different rates and are rated by how slowly or quickly the foods are absorbed. This system is called the glycaemic index (GI). There are no good or bad foods within this classification, but rather choices can be made according to your needs. For example, if you are at school or about to go into a meeting and need to concentrate, choose foods from this group that are slowly absorbed (low-GI < 55) by the body and dont cause blood sugars to rise too much, because these foods allow for a steady release of energy into the bloodstream. These slow-release carbohydrates keep up our energy levels for longer rather than foods that are quickly absorbed (high-GI > 70).

   High or intermediate GI (= 5669) foods can be used when an instant burst of energy is needed, like before or during sports events or when your child is more active during the day and needs an instant source of energy. When the GI of the food is a bit higher (i.e. intermediate or high GI) you can include other low-GI foods like dairy, low-GI fruits and breads or vegetables to lower the GI of the meal, e.g. the couscous and cheese patties () could be eaten with a yoghurt, vegetable crudits and dried apple slices to lower the GI of the meal. Alternatively, if a more ready source of energy is needed then the foods can be eaten as is. It is not only important to know how quickly or slowly the carbohydrate is processed but also how big the portion is and the load it gives the body to process to keep blood sugar levels normal.

   This is represented by the glycaemic load (GL) values. The GL of a snack should be around 10 most of the time, but definitely below 15. The GL of a main meal should be kept below 25 most of the time, but definitely below 30. This cookbook contains recipes that are generally considered to be snacks and meals. Make sure to pack both meals and snacks into the lunchbox if the person you are packing the lunchbox for needs food to keep them going for most of the day. Try choosing the wholegrain version of these foods where you can.

   This food group can include sandwiches, muffins, potato dishes, pasta salads, fritters, etc. There are no general guidelines for portion size because it varies so much between children and adults, but generally the size of the carbohydrate portion should be roughly the size of the persons fist.

2. Fruit and vegetables fruit and vegetables help to keep you healthy and boost your immune system. You should include at least one fruit and one vegetable in a lunchbox and it is important to eat at least 5 fruit/vegetables every day. You can include vegetables on sandwiches, in salads, fritters and even foods like muffins!
   
3. Milk and dairy foods this food group is very important for bone growth and your health in general. You should include one portion of dairy in a lunchbox every day either as a drink or in the form of yoghurt or cheese.
   
4. Lean meat or chicken, fish, eggs, beans, legumes and other non-dairy sources of protein like nuts this food group helps build muscles and keep your organs healthy and strong.

   You should include one protein in a lunchbox each day. Dont forget that oily fish like sardines, mackerel, snoek, trout, pilchards and salmon are really important for our brains, eyes and skin, and we should all have at least 23 portions of fatty fish a week.
   Dont forget to eat beans! They are a great source of protein and can add a lot of variety to the lunchbox. Again there is no general guideline as to how much protein to give because the amount varies between children and adults. As a rough guide the size of the protein portion should be about the size of the palm of the hand of the person you are packing the lunchbox for.
   

5. Foods and drinks high in fat and/or sugar like sweets, chocolates, sodas and crisps this group of foods should only be eaten occasionally and as a treat, as it is easy to overeat from this food group. These foods are not healthy and provide very little nutrition. There are no hard and fast rules as to how often occasionally is.

   Some sources say that it is up to the parents to decide how much they allow their children to eat and some sources say that this food group should be banned. There are some schools that ban this food group from school lunchboxes and, if they do find that the parents have snuck them into the lunchbox, they confiscate them! So the message is to rather choose healthy foods. The same principle can be applied to treats included in the lunchbox of an adult. Try making healthy choices most often and keeping junk food to a minimum.