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Canberra Health Services
Health Information Sheet | Canberra Health Services

Tuckatalk lunch

A nutritious lunch gives your child energy to learn and play. Packing a healthy lunch will help your child eat well and form healthy eating habits for life. Involve your child in planning their lunchbox each day and include foods they like to eat. It is normal for the amount a child eats to vary from day to day so let your child decide how much to eat.

What to include in the lunchbox.

  • Include a variety of foods from the five food groups.
  • See the Australian Guide to Healthy eating at eatforhealth.gov.au
  • Add protein such as lean meat, chicken, fish, eggs, beans (legumes) or cheese.
  • Add salad vegetables to sandwiches and wraps or include vegetable sticks or mixed salad.
  • Include breads and cereals such as wholegrain bread, wraps, crackers, noodles, pasta or rice.
  • Include one serve of fresh or canned fruit, or fruit salad.
  • Add a dairy or dairy alternative food such as yoghurt or cheese Your child can have reduced fat dairy from 2 years of age.

Lunchbox ideas

Example 1:

  • Wholegrain sandwich with ham, lettuce and mayonnaise
  • Carrot and celery sticks
  • Cheese stick
  • 1 banana

Example 2:

  • Vegemite sandwich
  • Ham and cheese with crackers
  • Apple slices
  • snap pea chips

Example 3:

  • Chicken and pesto pasta
  • Yoghurt carton
  • Fruit salad
  • Vegetable sticks with dip

Example 4:

  • Vegetable curry with rice
  • Bread sticks with hummus dip
  • Grapes
  • Yoghurt

Example 5:

  • Lentil and vegetable soup
  • Wholegrain bread roll
  • Muesli with calcium enriched coconut yogurt
  • Watermelon cubes.

Always add a full water bottle to your child’s school lunch.

Freezing Sandwiches

Consider making a week’s supply of sandwiches and freeze them ready for school lunches:

Fillings such as meat, egg and cheese can be frozen for a short period of time (up to 2 months). Source: Foodsafety.gov

Thaw sandwiches in their original wrapping. This takes about 2 hours. Salad vegetables with high water content like tomato, lettuce and cucumbers don’t freeze well.

Food Safety

Eating food that has not been handled correctly or has ‘gone off’ can make children sick, so remember to:

  • Always wash your hands before handling food
  • Wash lunch boxes and drink bottles every day
  • Keep cold food cold by placing foods in an insulated bag with a freezer block or a frozen water bottle.
  • If cooking foods for lunch the next day, cook it well and refrigerate quickly.
  • If packing hot food, make sure it is steaming hot before putting it in a preheated thermos container to keep the food warm.

Where can I get more information?

  • Talk to your General Practitioner (GP).
  • Make an appointment with a Canberra Health Services (CHS) Community Dietitian by phoning (02) 5124 9977.

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For more support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers and children contact:

canberrahealthservices.act.gov.au