Healthy lunchboxes

Looking for information on how to pack a healthy school lunchbox that kids will love? Look no more!

Use the colourful Pick'n'Mix poster, below, or keep scrolling for a list of our favourite websites, resources and videos.

 

Pick'n'Mix 1-6

For a healthy lunchbox pick & mix something from each food group 1 - 6!

The Department of Health and Human Services' Pick & Mix 1-6 poster provides a range of ideas and practical tips to inspire families to create healthy school lunchboxes

Pick and mix one tasty option from each of the five core food groups to create a healthy lunchbox every day:

  1. Fruit (e.g. fresh, frozen, pureed and canned in natural juice)
  2. Vegetables, legumes and beans
  3. Milk, yoghurt, cheese and alternatives
  4. Lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds, and legumes/beans
  5. Grain (cereal) foods
  6. Plain water 

Click here to download your free copy of the Pick & Mix 1-6 poster to give away or display.

Pick and Mix 1-6 healthy lunchbox poster page 1

 

 

Pick and Mix 1-6 healthy lunchbox poster page 2

What goes in a healthy lunchbox?

 

Lunchbox tips

Better Health Channel

Practical tips for packing a healthy school lunchbox, with helpful advice for parents on food refusal, peer pressure and more.

 

 

Healthy lunchboxes

Better Health Channel

Advice on what to include in a healthy lunchbox, and tips for food safety.

 

 

Healthy lunchbox snacks

Healthy Kids Association

Offers tips for healthy lunchbox snacks and easy snack ideas.

 

 

Healthy lunchbox builder

Cancer Council NSW

An fun and interactive website to build a healthy lunchbox by mixing and matching items. Plus recipes and advice on food safety, involving children, and time saving tips.

 

 

Healthy lunchboxes made easy

Healthier QLD

Stuck for ideas for the kids school lunches? Try these combos for inspiration.

 

 

 

Lunchbox planners

 

Lunchboxes – healthy menu planner

Better Health Channel

A Monday-to-Friday guide on what to pack for morning snack, lunch and afternoon snack, plus drinks.

 

 

10 great lunchbox ideas

Healthy Kids Association

This pictorial resource shows 10 different lunchboxes made with foods from the five food groups.

 

 

Healthy lunchbox planner

GenR8 Change

Use the Pick 'n' Mix sheet to plan your lunches for the week, then fill this out and keep it you on your fridge to make packing healthy lunches easy! 

 

 

 

Video clips

 

Healthy lunchbox combos (video)

Décor, Nutrition Australia and Dairy Australia

Mix-and-match something from every food group to create colourful combinations that your kids will love.

 

 

Lunch boxes - healthy shopping ideas (video)

Better Health Channel

Victorian State Public Health Nutritionist, Veronica Graham, takes us shopping for the right foods to include in your child's lunchbox.

 

 

Lunchboxes – how to make them healthy (video)

Better Health Channel

Victorian State Public Health Nutritionist, Veronica Graham, shares three healthy and delicious lunchbox examples for the kids and provides some great food preparation tips to save you time throughout the week.

 

 

 

 

Resources and posters

 

Pick’n’Mix 1-6 (PDF)

Healthy Eating Advisory Service

Pick and mix a tasty option from each of the five core food groups to create a healthy lunchbox every day.

 

A picture of a lunchbox

 

 

Build your own healthy lunchbox (PDF, CALD)

DPV Health

A four page resource with useful tips and easy ways to pack a healthy lunchbox. Also available in Arabic and Hindi.

 

Lunchbox checklists (CALD)

NSW Multicultural Health Communication

Simple lunchbox checklists to help children and adults understand which foods make up a healthy lunch box. Available in English, Hindi, Arabic, Spanish, Serbian, Somali, Macedonian, Vietnamese and Traditional Chinese.

 

 

The ABCD of packing healthy lunchboxes (CALD)

Western Australia School Canteen Association

Pictorial resources available in Arabic, Burmese, Dari, Dinka, Farsi, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Karen, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Swahili, Tagalog, Thai, Tigrinya, Vietnamese, and English.

 

 

Healthy food and drink choices - tips for parents and carers (CALD)

Department of Education, Western Australia

Translated info sheets available in Burmese, Dari, Dinka, Hindi, Indonesian, Karen, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Swahili, Tagalog, Thai, Tigrinya, Vietnamese, English, Farsi, and Arabic.

 

 

 

How to keep food fresh and safe

 

Keep your child’s lunchbox safe

Healthy Kids Association

Includes practical tips to keep lunchboxes fresh and safe.

 

 

More healthy lunchbox tips

 

Lunchboxes – healthy ideas for school lunches

Better Health Channel

Tasty meal and snack ideas for each of the five core foods groups.

 

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