» Back to school
As August departs and the bank Holiday has ... Read more
» Taste Full Life club
It can be a shock if you’ve recently been diagnosed with coeliac disease, that is why Dietary Specials have designed the Taste Full Life club especially for you.Find Out More
Back to school
As August departs and the bank Holiday has come and gone many parents minds very quickly turn to the new school term. Most of us would like to think that we were packing our children off with a healthy but exciting lunch box that is variable from Monday to Friday, but this is not always so easy when the child is Coeliac or sufferers an allergy from gluten or wheat.
With an increasing focus on health, it is important to ensure that your child’s lunchbox contains the following:
• A protein source either meat, fish or a non dairy source of protein
• A starchy food which in this instance needs to be gluten free and
wheat free
• A vegetable or salad
• A portion of fruit
• A milk or dairy food
• A drink
All this is easier said than done – or is it! We’ve put together a selection of ideas for you to try.
Sandwich Ideas
A really nice sandwich or roll made from Dietary Specials sliced multigrain bread (white or brown), rustic rolls, soft white rolls or petit pain which have been refreshed and filled with either:
• Chicken slices/sweetcorn/bacon pieces with mayonnaise (check
mayonnaise is gluten free and beware some bought chicken
pieces are wheat flour coated)
• Canned Sardines, pilchards or mackerel with a few salad leaves
and cucumber * contains omega 3 which aids the brain
• Canned tuna/grated carrot/sliced tomato and mayonnaise *
canned tuna contains some omega 3 but fresh tuna is higher
• Chopped hard boiled egg, cress or pea sprouts with mayonnaise *
Columbus eggs contain omega 3 because of the food the hens
are fed.
If sarnies are not your child’s ideal lunch then try:
• Pasta salad made from Dietary Specials penne or Fusilli pasta
mixed with a combination of canned tuna or salmon * canned
salmon contains more omega 3 than canned tuna, beans,
peppers, peas, sweetcorn served in a dressing or a combination of
mayonnaise and Greek yogurt, chives or torn basil leaves could be
added if liked.
• Mini frittata served with Dietary specials sliced multigrain bread
cut into fingers
• Chicken drumsticks plain roasted or flavoured with BBQ sauce or
paprika
• Savoury mini quiches made from Dietary Specials white mix for
the pastry
• Homous and fromage frais, soft cheese with added pieces of fruit
or cheese cubes served with Dietary Specials crackers.
Salads are not easy to eat and rather cumbersome so try some veggie sticks: carrot, mange tout, green beans, butternut squash, celery, or cherry tomatoes, but don’t forget the serviette with the latter as seeds can end up everywhere!!
When thinking of fruit please don’t get stuck with the apple, as nice as they are, try a small bunch of grapes, a few blueberries, a satuma, slices of mango or chunks of melon and don’t forget a spoon with the kiwi. Dried fruits, like raisins, apricots, sultanas and seeds like pumpkin or sunflower.
The dairy food may already have been included or will be with the drink but little yogurt or fromage frais desserts bulk out the lunch especially for an older child.
When it comes to drinks – life is easy – remember no fizz
Offer a variety of fruit juices, apple, orange, pineapple or mixed fruits. Smoothies made from just fruit or yogurt and or milk combined are a great way to introduce children to new flavours, some varieties even have fun facts on the back of pack.
Before the lunchbox disappears out of the door, ensure it’s packed well because you want to make sure it’s eaten; a broken crumbly sandwich and squashed fruit is a sure way of ensuring the lunch ends up in the bin. If you don’t have a cool pack lunch bag or box then freeze fruit juice cartons and pack them inside to keep the food cool. Where possible get the children involved in choosing some of the food or packing up the lunchbox, school mornings are hectic so this is probably best done the night before – point to remember, if the lunch is irresistible it will get eaten.