How To Prepare Lunch Boxes: Cost-Saving and Healthy Tips for Parents

children healthy food packed lunch School Lunch mom school

By Jackelyn Cornejo , Parent Herald Jan 24, 10:47 am

Photo: (Photo : Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Returning to school is a period of eager anticipation for a lot of families, yet it presents its own set of challenges and creativity. One of the major challenges revolving around the task is the preparation and creation of lunchboxes that are both appealing, cost-effective, convenient, and health-conscious.

Lunchboxes play a crucial role in sustaining children's energy levels throughout the time they are at school or during school hours, which, in turn, supports their ability to be focused on the things they do.

What To Consider in Planning Healthy, Low-Cost Lunchboxes

What do you think makes a healthy and nutritious lunchbox, and how can you be sure of its freshness while also keeping in mind the cost of it all?

Thinking about a healthful, well-balanced lunchbox involves a few considerations to provide what is best for our kids. Let's look into the four key components to ensure we prepare a healthy lunchbox.

Energy-providing foods: Prepare items like, sandwiches, rice dishes, pasta, wraps, which contains carbohydrates that supply your child with the necessary energy for learning and play.
Growth-supporting foods: Make sure to include beans, eggs, dairy products, or lean meats. These foods are rich in protein, which are crucial for sustaining your child's growing bodies and minds.
Healthy-promoting foods: Always pack a variety of colored fruits and vegetables that contribute to a boost of the immune system, fortified with minerals and vitamins.
Hydration: Opt for water, milk, or milk alternatives as optimal beverage choices. As much as possible, avoid sugary drinks to prevent dental issues.

It is essential to selecting snacks wisely. While treats may be enticing, they are not the best choice for sustained focus and energy.

Avoiding snacks like fruit bars and straps that are high in sugar and low in essential nutrients. Biscuits, chocolate bars, Dairy desserts, and high-fat, high-sugar muesli bars should also be excluded.

Reminders in Preparing Healthy Lunchboxes

When looking and buying packaged snacks, prioritize items with less than 600 kilojoules per serving, good fiber content (more than 1 gram per serving) low saturated fat (less than 2 grams per serving). Opt for nutrient-dense ingredients like beans, fruits, low-fat dairy, whole grains, or vegetables.

Keeping food for school is easy to handle and eating the choices of food is crucial, especially for younger children. Involving them in the preparation of their lunchbox so that they can familiarize themselves with its contents, making them more likely to eat the meal they have.

Freshness of the food is essential, considering that food can sit in lunch boxes for hours. The use of insulated lunch boxes and ice packs, storing the lunchbox in the fridge overnight if prepared in advance, and advising kids to keep their lunchboxes away from sunlight and heat directly.

To control the costs, follow dietary guidelines, opting for fruits and vegetables that are in season, take advantage of bulk purchases or special deals, bake and freeze items in advance, and use dinner leftovers for next-day lunches.

Additionally, monitor your child's lunchbox to adjust its contents based on their hunger levels, reducing unnecessary food waste.