Healthy Packed Lunches

Health Lunch Boxes 

At East Wichel Primary School we promote healthy food choices for all children.  As a part of our curriculum, we encourage children to think about what they eat during the whole day.  For those children who bring a packed lunch to school we encourage them to make healthy choices. 

  Suggestion for a Healthy Packed Lunch (every day unless otherwise stated)

• At least one portion of fruit and one portion of vegetables
• Meat, fish or other source of non-dairy protein (e.g. lentils, kidney beans, chickpeas, hummus and falafel) 
• Oily fish, such as salmon or tuna once a week
• A starchy food i.e. any type of bread, pasta, rice, couscous, noodles, potatoes or other type of cereals.
• Dairy food such as milk, cheese, yoghurt or fromage frais. 
• Sugar free squash, fruit smoothie or pure fruit juice (please do not send fizzy drinks)
  (Water and milk is available to all children)

Packed Lunches should include limited synthetic processed foods:

• High fat savoury snacks such as crisps, sausage rolls, pasties, fried samosa, and pork pie.
  Savoury crackers or breadsticks are an acceptable alternative.
• High sugar snacks such as fruit winders, chocolate covered raisins, yogurt coated raisins, yogurt coated fruit flakes High sugar and fat snacks such as chocolate-coated biscuits, jam sandwiches or chocolate spread sandwiches
• High salt content foods such as cheese dippers, Dairy Lea Lunchables, cheese strings and processed meat snacks such as chicken bites, peperoni or fridge raiders.
• High Fat meat products such as sausage rolls, individual pies, corned beef and sausages/chipolatas
• Penguin, kit-kat, club or similar chocolate covered biscuits

Packed lunches should NOT include the following foods:

• Nuts (including Nutella and nut based spreads) because of the danger to other children with allergies
• Fizzy drinks
• Chocolate bars or sweets

You can get further advice and help with ideas for your children lunches by clicking on the link below. 

Snacks
At East Wichel Primary School we promote healthy food choices for all children.  As a part of our curriculum, we encourage children to think about what they eat during the whole day. 

Children in Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 do not need to bring in a snack, they have access to fruit and vegetable snacks as part of the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme (SFVS).

Children in Key stage 2 should only bring in a healthy snack.

Water Bottles

It's crucial for children to drink water consistently throughout the day to maintain their overall health and well-being. Water plays a fundamental role in various bodily functions, including regulating body temperature, transporting nutrients, and flushing out toxins. Encouraging children to stay hydrated not only supports their physical health but also enhances their cognitive function and concentration levels, leading to improved academic performance. Moreover, promoting water as the primary beverage choice in school reinforces healthy hydration habits and helps prevent the consumption of sugary or chemical filled drinks, reducing the risk of dental cavities and obesity. Therefore, it's essential to emphasize the importance of having only water in water bottles during class time to in still healthy hydration habits early on and foster an environment conducive to optimal learning and well-being.