ONE child eats thousands of lunches at school during their education, and Cancer Council NSW aims to ease that chore while also encouraging healthy eating.
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With the start of the school year fast approaching,
The new Healthy Lunch Box website features an interactive lunchbox builder so parents and kids can plan healthy school food on a PC, smartphone or tablet.
The site has tasty recipes, ideas and tips for families to pack a lunchbox kids will love to eat, promoting behaviour that has lifelong cancer-prevention benefits.
Cancer Council NSW said one in three cancer cases could be prevented by a healthy lifestyle if children ate well and stayed active.
But, only seven per cent of NSW children ate enough vegetables, and 22 per cent were overweight or obese.
Community Programs Coordinator for Cancer Council NSW Camilla Thompson said parents wanted to ensure they were providing their kids with the energy and nutrients they needed to learn and play.
Parents want quick and easy access to healthy recipes and inspiration on how to vary lunchbox content.
“With one child eating about 2500 lunches throughout their years at school, many parents report that packing lunchboxes can be a chore, especially when it comes to getting kids enthusiastic about healthy options such as fruit and vegetables,” she said.
“The lunchbox builder is a great way to get your kids involved and excited about what they’ll find in their lunchbox each day.”
Ms Thompson said one of the most important tips was to add more fruits and vegetables to lunch boxes for school.
“[This] is a simple way to ensure children are getting the vitamins, minerals and fibre they need to fuel concentration in the classroom – and the cancer prevention benefits of eating a healthy and balanced diet are so important, too.”
She said even adults might find inspiration for their own lunches.
The program includes free sessions and workshops which will be available in the Orana region for parents of primary-aged schoolchildren, to help them to understand why fruit and vegetables are so important in their family’s diet.
Sessions include healthy lunchbox sessions, fruit and vegetable sense workshops and nutrition snippets.
The Cancer Council said the website has been made possible thanks to the ongoing generosity of OUTRUN CANCER and the community.
It urged parents to visit healthylunchbox.com.au and pack a tasty healthy lunch boxes.
