Packed Lunches
Lunch at school can be a nightmare if your cafeteria offers unappealing dishes! If you can, take in a packed lunch. That way you’re eating something you like and can make sure it’s balanced and will fill you up.
Here are a few ideas for packed lunches, which you can make in advance:
• Tuna, sweet corn and pasta salad, bottle of water or carton of orange juice, 2 plums
• 2 slices of cold pizza with mixed salad, bottle of water or carton of apple juice, bowl of strawberries
• Wholemeal pitta bread stuffed with roast chicken and coleslaw, bottle of water or carton of orange juice, a handful of grapes
Not just to school, you can take your pack lunch to anywhere, its healthier and saves you money! Win-win really.
Making the most of lunch
If you can’t take in a packed lunch and you find yourself surviving on bread rolls because you find the cafeteria food so gross, do something about it! Talk to your teachers or class delegates to see if something can be done.
It is hard for cafeterias to serve nice food as they usually have a small budget of what they can spend per child and a strict list of rules about balanced meals. A lot of them have also become businesses which need to sell their products. All kids will buy chips but not many will try pitta bread with humus.
• Try and see if your school can change their system, from selling you food every day to you paying for it in advance.
• Come up with a list of balanced lunches you would like to have and present it to staff.
• Get your friends and classmates to sign a petition. Do something!
Staff will appreciate your efforts and could take them to higher authorities. They don’t enjoy reheating food in microwaves either!