Are you packing right for your school child?
When it is school time, parents are on their toes looking for what to pack for their children for break and lunch. Sometimes it is not easy to prepare for the children because of lack of choice. At times, one has a choice, but fails to stick to it.
By Maureen Nakatudde
When it is school time, parents are on their toes looking for what to pack for their children for break and lunch. Sometimes it is not easy to prepare for the children because of lack of choice. At times, one has a choice, but fails to stick to it.
Gloria Kirungi, a nutrionist with Kim Medical Centre in Kampala, says: “A parent should pack food which meets the child’s dietary requirements of the day.†What is packed should have an energy giving food, body building food and protective food. Kirungi adds that the food ought to be attractive enough for the child to eat.
The food should be in mouthful sized pieces since the child may not have the necessary cutlery to dissect the food. The food being in manageable sizes can also help the child to quickly finish the food instead of leaving it in the bag after failing to pick it up.
Have you ever met a child whose uniform and hair was covered in what she or he had eaten? This was as a result of the parent’s packing food which was too soft and pulpy. If the food is soft, the child may just squeeze it in between his or her palms instead of eating it. Soft food too makes it hard for the child to get it out of the container as it usually smashes and smudges on everything the child touches.
There are some parents who are experts at packing for their children sweetened or flavoured foods. Kirungi says this is not a good idea though these items are easily accessible from the shops.
Kirungi advises parents against this procedure and says: “The food should not be over sweetened nor over flavoured as this directly affects the child’s appetite especially children between one and five years.’’
She adds: “Make it crispy to exercise the jaw.†Besides that, consider the storage temperature and the nature of transport the child is going to use when packing their food. You should carefully consider the packaging material where the food is to be stored. For example, if you put soup in a loose container, it will leak.
The child might reach school when he or she is dirty and hence hate the whole process. Hot foods should be put in small children’s flasks so that the child is able to eat them when they are warm.
Further more, a bag with different compartments is ideal for school going children. One compartment can be for food, another for books and another for pencils. This saves the books from getting wet incase the food accidentally poured in the bag
Instead of packing any foods, dry foods are preferred for easier storage and handling while away from home. In case of any mishandling, they might not make the child dirty. More so, one can’t do away with juice.
So you should make sure that the lid is tightly closed on the bottle and also show the child how to tighten it in your absence. This will prevent any pouring in the bag or class.
Do not just pack any type of food. Apart from being nutritious, the food too should be tasty. When the food is not delicious, the child might not take it and this will affect his or her growth.
Some of the common lunch box food ideas you can pack for your child Kirungi gives are sandwiches (fillings like sausages, cheese, eggs, chutney, fish fillet, chicken), short pastries, boiled eggs, sausages, cutlets or joints of chicken, buttered rolls, crisp bread, plain biscuits, bread, vegetables and fruit salads, raw fruits, chocolate, cakes and biscuits.
Never forget to include a fruit or vegetable for lunch for example: chicken sandwich (filling: bread, boiled chicken, assorted vegetables). Recommended drinks include milk, juice, yoghurt and water.
Having learned some of the great ideas in packing food for your children, it will perhaps be easy for you to pack it and avoid wasting time.
When it is school time, parents are on their toes looking for what to pack for their children for break and lunch. Sometimes it is not easy to prepare for the children because of lack of choice. At times, one has a choice, but fails to stick to it.
Gloria Kirungi, a nutrionist with Kim Medical Centre in Kampala, says: “A parent should pack food which meets the child’s dietary requirements of the day.†What is packed should have an energy giving food, body building food and protective food. Kirungi adds that the food ought to be attractive enough for the child to eat.
The food should be in mouthful sized pieces since the child may not have the necessary cutlery to dissect the food. The food being in manageable sizes can also help the child to quickly finish the food instead of leaving it in the bag after failing to pick it up.
Have you ever met a child whose uniform and hair was covered in what she or he had eaten? This was as a result of the parent’s packing food which was too soft and pulpy. If the food is soft, the child may just squeeze it in between his or her palms instead of eating it. Soft food too makes it hard for the child to get it out of the container as it usually smashes and smudges on everything the child touches.
There are some parents who are experts at packing for their children sweetened or flavoured foods. Kirungi says this is not a good idea though these items are easily accessible from the shops.
Kirungi advises parents against this procedure and says: “The food should not be over sweetened nor over flavoured as this directly affects the child’s appetite especially children between one and five years.’’
She adds: “Make it crispy to exercise the jaw.†Besides that, consider the storage temperature and the nature of transport the child is going to use when packing their food. You should carefully consider the packaging material where the food is to be stored. For example, if you put soup in a loose container, it will leak.
The child might reach school when he or she is dirty and hence hate the whole process. Hot foods should be put in small children’s flasks so that the child is able to eat them when they are warm.
Further more, a bag with different compartments is ideal for school going children. One compartment can be for food, another for books and another for pencils. This saves the books from getting wet incase the food accidentally poured in the bag
Instead of packing any foods, dry foods are preferred for easier storage and handling while away from home. In case of any mishandling, they might not make the child dirty. More so, one can’t do away with juice.
So you should make sure that the lid is tightly closed on the bottle and also show the child how to tighten it in your absence. This will prevent any pouring in the bag or class.
Do not just pack any type of food. Apart from being nutritious, the food too should be tasty. When the food is not delicious, the child might not take it and this will affect his or her growth.
Some of the common lunch box food ideas you can pack for your child Kirungi gives are sandwiches (fillings like sausages, cheese, eggs, chutney, fish fillet, chicken), short pastries, boiled eggs, sausages, cutlets or joints of chicken, buttered rolls, crisp bread, plain biscuits, bread, vegetables and fruit salads, raw fruits, chocolate, cakes and biscuits.
Never forget to include a fruit or vegetable for lunch for example: chicken sandwich (filling: bread, boiled chicken, assorted vegetables). Recommended drinks include milk, juice, yoghurt and water.
Having learned some of the great ideas in packing food for your children, it will perhaps be easy for you to pack it and avoid wasting time.