The influence of different cuisines have been apparent in our shopping habits, over time making us more adventurous about trying new foods. Programming on cooking and baking have promoted the British obsession, however this seem to be confined to the walls of our own home.

The majority of the working population still relies on eating sandwiches; parents pack the same thing for their kids’ lunches. I guess when you think about a packed lunch, the reliable sandwich and a cheeky packet of crisps springs to mind. There is nothing wrong with that, but it can become a problem if you have the same thing over and over again.

Why would this crusty routine be a problem? Well it’s likely that it limits the range of foods that you eat, ask yourself, in a typical week do your lunches cover the colours of the rainbow? This is important as it is a good indicator of whether you are getting the range of nutrients your body requires, which are found in colourful fruit & vegetables. So what we need to do is introduce a variety of different foods regularly, this can also encourage children to be adventurous eaters and not forgetting less picky.

Stir fry’s can be perfect for a packed lunch as you have a range of crunchy vegetables, noodles, and some lean meat like chicken or turkey (tofu if you're vegetarian) making it a well balanced meal. For a quick lunch (from experience) it has to be couscous and fish. You can get flavoured packets of couscous which contains dried up veggie and herbs from the supermarket, jus add boiling water and in 2 minutes it will be cooked. Pair it with tinned fish like sardines or herring in olive oil (avoid brine), just drain out half the oil and mix into the couscous. Its quicker than brewing a cup of tea (seriously).

Mayor of London Boris Johnson visits Reach Academy, Feltham The Mayor enjoys lunch with pupils

Some people might find it easier to buy ready to eat dishes like cold pasta & chicken. However some of these healthy looking pasta dishes can be laden with sugar, salt and fat, which bumps up the calorie content. But by making it yourself you can control exactly what’s in it, you can choose to use whole wheat pasta instead of white and add fresher vegetables. If you’re making pasta for dinner you can make a separate one at the same time or use the leftovers for tomorrows lunch.

Alternatively you could use chopped up boiled new potatoes with lean meat or fish, dressed with lemon, herbs, and olive oil. If there are leftovers, ask your child if they would like to take some for packed lunch, this would at least introduce them to the idea that packed lunch can be more than just sandwiches.

To encourage kids to eat fruit at lunch it would be useful to chop it up into bitesize pieces, so that they are more likely to eat it. Instead of crisps, sweets or chocolates, why not mix it up with some nuts & dried fruit, hummus with carrots/cucumber sticks or whole-wheat crackers and cheese.

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