A Westlake Wellness article.
Now that we are well into the term, students can get bored with their usual lunches. As we move into cooler weather, it is a good time to reevaluate food options.
Here are some ideas for lunchtime foods, all of which are high-energy and nutritious. Students who are participating in training or sports will need to plan for extra nutrition to help them perform at their best.
- Wraps with salad and protein such as chicken, tuna, chilli beans, and hummus.
- Vegetable Salads: Try to mix it up and use colourful root vegetables (kumara, beetroot, carrot). Add seeds or nuts for extra texture and protein.
- Pasta salads: e.g., spiral pasta with shredded cooked chicken, pesto and almonds, shell pasta with a curried dressing, nuts, and sultanas.
- Sushi wraps – avocado, cucumber and chicken, beef, fish.
- Breakfast for lunch – cereal and yogurt, waffles, bacon and egg slice, Weetbix sandwich.
- Alternative sandwich – replace sliced bread with bagels, waffles, wraps, rolls, bao buns.
Try to swap treat foods for healthy snacks as often as you can:
Always remember to hydrate during the lunch break. We have plenty of water fountains and chilled water stations around the school.
Sweetpea and Saffron have an excellent website for ideas: https://sweetpeasandsaffron.com/healthy-lunch-ideas/
Main image photo credit: Anthony Espinosa, Unsplash.