Sandwich, apple, carrot, cucumber, maybe a muesli bar and some chocolate for snacking. Almost everyone knows the snack box that children usually take to school. But what ingredients should be chosen so that the lunch box is both filling and healthy?
Basis: sandwich
A sandwich is the easiest and quickest way to a filling lunch box. It can also be filled in different ways for variety. Make sure the bread and toppings are made with wholesome ingredients.
The bread
A dark dough with seeds would naturally be the best choice for the sandwich. This provides more fibre and minerals than, for example, light bread. But we all know that children can be stubborn about this. Therefore, a pretzel bun will do as an alternative.
The topping
In traditional Swiss style, cheese should not be missing from the sandwich. A hard cheese is recommended here, which provides particularly high levels of minerals, protein and – especially from grazing cows: omega-3 fatty acids. A mild cheese, for instance. Or would you prefer a more mature Gruyère? Of course, the child’s preferences must also be taken into account here. But with our selection, there is bound to be at least one cheese that delights their taste buds.
If you like, you can also put some meat in the sandwich. Slices are the quickest way, of course. We recommend meat that is certified with the bud. This is because cows reared under this label have a lot of access to pasture, which makes their meat richer and more nutritious. How about this organic salami or this organic shoulder ham?
In addition to cheese and meat, the sandwich can be further filled with cucumber slices, fresh tomatoes, …
Snacks
In addition to the sandwich, other snacks can of course be packed in the snack box. For example, bananas, nuts, seasonal apples, carrots, pears, etc.
Muesli bars are also very popular. They release their energy quickly due to the sugar and can provide minerals, proteins and vitamins. However, make sure that nuts or wheat balance out the sugar content of the fruit. This is optimal for concentrated work at school.
Thirst quencher
Last but not least, a thirst quencher is the crowning touch. This allows you to control to a certain extent what liquids your child (or children) drink(s). For example, you can make sure that they do not drink too much sugar in the form of sweet drinks.
Fruit juices, for example, are a good choice here, as they contain a certain amount of sugar, but also nutrients and minerals. Almost every child probably likes apple juice. For the more adventurous: you may want to try the a tangy smoothie.
The best tips and tricks for an age-appropriate snack box
Finally, we want to give you some tips on how to put together an age-appropriate snack box:
- Quick, imaginative and cool: this is how children want their snack box.
- The most important thing first: the snack must be “quick”!
- Almost as important: children eat extremely with their eyes!
- And last but not least: the older the child, the “cooler” the snack.
You can find more details on these tips in this (German) post by our family blogger Rita.
What do you think?