Lunch and Snacks

At NAKIS, we encourage students to bring a healthy lunch that gives them the energy to study effectively throughout the day. Please be aware we have a few students with severe nut allergies and would prefer it if parents do not include nut products in their children's lunches.

School is a time when children start to make independent choices about their lifestyles. School aged children learn quickly and are influenced by friends and popular trends. This is an important time to talk about and encourage healthy food habits.

Involving children in planning and preparing their own lunchboxes gives them the opportunity to learn about healthy eating, and also gives them a chance to make decisions about what they will be eating during the day. Some tips to help get your children involved include:

• Talk to your children about what they would like to have in their lunchbox. Discuss healthier food and drink choices and decide what will be in the lunchbox together.
• Write a shopping list together. Take your children shopping with you and let them choose foods and drinks from the shopping list.
• Encourage your children help prepare their lunchboxes. Older children may be able to prepare most of their lunch themselves, and younger children can help with making sandwiches or cutting up soft fruit. It is a good idea to prepare lunchboxes the evening before to allow children to participate.

Try planning a healthy lunch box to start the school year. Talk to your children and discuss what they would be happy to have included.

The six key parts to a healthy lunchbox include:

• fresh fruit
• fresh crunchy vegetables
• milk, yoghurt or cheese (you can use reduced-fat options for children over the age of two years). For children who cannot tolerate milk products, offer appropriate alternatives like calcium fortified soy or rice drink or soy yoghurt
• a meat or meat alternative food like some lean meat e.g. chicken strips or a hard-boiled egg.
• a grain or cereal food like bread, a roll, flat bread, fruit bread or crackers (wholegrain or wholemeal choices are best)
• A bottle of water.