The task of creating a healthy school lunch is now easier for NSW Lower Mid North Coast parents with Cancer Council NSW’s newly launched Healthy Lunch Box website.
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The website includes recipes, ideas and tips – and it also features an interactive lunch box builder that enables parents and their kids to plan a healthy lunch box at home, or on the move with their smartphone or tablet.
The Healthy Lunch Box shows NSW Lower Mid North Coast parents how easy it can be to add more fruit and vegetables into daily lunches and pack a lunch box that kids will love to eat while encouraging behaviour that has lifelong cancer prevention benefits.
One in three cancer cases can be prevented by adopting a healthy lifestyle, which includes eating well, being active and maintaining a healthy weight. But only seven per cent of NSW children eat enough vegetables and 22 per cent of children are overweight or obese.
The website has been launched as part of Cancer Council NSW’s Eat It To Beat It program which runs free sessions and workshops across Hastings, Taree and Forster for parents of primary aged school children, helping them to understand why fruit and vegetables are so important.
Cancer Council NSW’s Nutrition Project Officer Juanita Nantes said parents want quick and easy access to healthy recipes and inspiration on how to vary lunch box content.
“Parents want to ensure they are providing their kids with the energy and nutrients they need to learn and play,” Ms Nantes said.
“With one child eating about 2500 lunches throughout their years at school, many parents report that packing lunch boxes can be a chore, especially when it comes to getting kids enthusiastic about healthy options such as fruit and vegetables.”
“The lunch box builder is a great way to get your kids involved and excited about what they’ll find in their lunch box each day.”
“Adding fruit and vegetables to the lunch box every day 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.”
“The Healthy Lunch Box website provides something for everyone. Parents are sure to find something that appeals to the fussiest of eaters and parents can even use the website as inspiration for their own lunches,” Ms Nantes.
The website has been made possible thanks to the ongoing generosity of Outrun Cancer (www.outruncancer.com) and the community.
Visit healthylunchbox.com.au