Whitings Hill Primary School

Healthy Schools

Whitings Hill Packed Lunch Guidance

 Packed lunches

We encourage parents to provide healthy well balanced packed lunches.

Preparing a healthy well balanced child’s lunchbox, includes:

  • Starchy foods – these are bread, rice, potatoes, pasta etc
  • Protein foods – including meat, fish, eggs, beans etc
  • A dairy item – this could be cheese or a yoghurt
  • Vegetables or salad
  • A portion of fruit
  • A healthy drink such as water or milk

INCLUDE:

-  Minimum of 1 portion of fruit and 1 portion of vegetables everyday

-  Meat, poultry, fish and non-dairy protein e.g. pulses

-  Oily fish at least once every few weeks (e.g. sardines, salmon)

-  Starchy food such as bread, pasta, rice, potatoes including wholegrain varieties

-  A dairy product milk, cheese and yoghurt (unsweetened, low/medium sugar) and low/medium fat for children aged 5+, any dairy alternatives should be unsweetened and fortified

-  Water or milk (semi-skimmed or skimmed).

 

LIMIT:

-  Processed meat products sausage rolls, pies, sausages etc

-  Cakes and biscuits to be enjoyed as part of a meal occasionally not as a snack

-  Fruit juice: no more than 150mls per day (restricted to children aged 5+)

 

DO NOT INCLUDE:

-  Salty snacks such as crisps, nuts etc

-  Sweets and chocolate

-  Sugary soft drinks

Packed lunches and break time snacks MUST NOT include:

  • Nuts – including peanut butter and Nutella – because of the life threatening risk to any other child who may have a severe allergy.
  • Confectionery such as chocolate bars and sweets.
  • Fizzy drinks
  • Crisps

Packed lunches and break time snacks CAN include:

  • Plain rice cakes
  • Oatcakes
  • Plain breadsticks
  • Fruit
  • Vegetables

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Special diets and allergies

The school also recognises that some pupils may require special diets that do not allow for the guidance to be met exactly. In this case parents are urged to be responsible in ensuring that packed lunches are as healthy as possible.  For these reasons pupils are also not permitted to swap food items. Please be aware of nut allergies.

For ideas for healthy packed lunches try these links:

  1. NHS - Lunchbox ideas and recipes
  2. BBC Good Food - School packed lunch inspiration
  3. Strong 4 Life - Quick and healthy school lunches

 

healthy start dl leaflet jan 2022.pdf

 

 

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