The Food in Sheffield (5 A DAY) Programme

The Balance of Good Health and Healthy Lunchboxes

Breads, Cereals and Potatoes

Eat Lots!• Includes breakfast cereals, pasta, rice, oats, maize, millet

and cornmeal

• Provide carbohydrate, fibre, some calcium and iron, B vitamins

• Complex carbohydrates, broken down slower

• Try wholemeal, wholegrain and high fibre versions

• Avoid frying, adding extra fat and rich sauces

Healthy Lunchbox Ideas

• Carbohydrates• Bread - choose a mixture of

wholemeal, multigrain, wholegrain, granary and white

• Rolls Rice crackers• Pittas Crispbreads• Bagals Crackers• Baguettes Scones• Muffins Fruit bread• Ciabatta Malt loaf• Wraps Pasta, rice

potato salad

Fruit and Vegetables

5 A DAY!• Includes fresh, frozen and canned fruit and vegetables

and dried fruit• Fruit juice counts as one portion however much you

drink!• Variety is key, combination of vitamins and minerals

which provide protective effect• Try to avoid fat-rich sauces and sugary dressings

Healthy Lunchbox ideas

• Fruit and Vegetables

• Salad in sandwiches• Cherry tomatoes• Carrot and cucumber sticks• Apples• Pears• Sultanas• Melon pieces• Kiwis• Canned pieces of fruit in juice• Raisins and dried apricots• Tubs of fruit salad

Milk and Dairy Foods

Bone up on milk!

•Includes milk, cheese, yoghurt and fromage frais

•Calcium, protein, Vit. B12, Vit. A & D

Healthy Lunchbox ideas

• Calcium – milk and dairy foods

• Milk or soya milk (calcium enriched)

• Cheese• Low fat soft cheese• Cottage cheese with

pineapple chunks• Yoghurts and fromage frais• Rice pudding• Custard

Meat, Fish and Alternatives

Moderation is key!•Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, beans and pulses

•Provide iron, protein, B vitamins, zinc and magnesium

•Trim visible fat, cook without fat•Try low-fat varieties e.g. beans and lentils•Bacon, salami, sausages, beefburgers all relatively high fat

Healthy Lunchbox ideas

• Protein – meat, fish and alternatives

• Slices of ham (reduced salt)• Turkey ham• Boiled eggs• Canned fish (choose spring

water to reduce salt)• Cooked prawns• Hummus• Peanut butter – check the

school nut policy

Foods Containing Fat and Sugar

Go Easy!•Spreading fats, oils, mayonnaise, cream, chocolate, crisps, biscuits, puddings, soft drinks

•Only group not essential for healthy diet

•Add choice and palatability

•Limit sugary foods and drinks to mealtimes

Saturated/Trans Fats

We still need to cut down!•Can raise LDL cholesterol and increase risk of heart disease

•Saturated- hard fats e.g.butter, lard, fat on meat, fatty meat products, pastries, many takeaway dishes

•Trans - vegetable oils which have been processed to make them hard. Found in - cakes, biscuits, pastries

Omega-3 Oils

•Unsaturated fat

•‘Essential’ and cannot be made by the body

•Best source = oily fish BUT also found in rapeseed, walnuts, soya, flax and linseed

•Proven to reduce blood clotting, improve circulation and other health benefits constantly emerging

A Word About Salt

•High salt intake risk of high blood pressure

•High blood pressure linked to heart disease/stroke

•No more than 6g per day•Hidden salt - 75% of the salt we eat

– Watch out for:• high salt snacks e.g. nuts, crisps• tinned/processed/salty meats e.g. spam, pate• tinned/packet soups and sauces• meat and yeast extracts

Drinks

• Water• Milk• Fruit juice drinks• Fruit juices• Smoothies• Drinking yoghurts

Further Information

•Food in Sheffield (5 A DAY) ProgrammeHelen ScothorneFood Development Worker (Children and Young People lead)Tel: 0114 2792665e-mail: h.scothorne@wildsheffield.com