1. Consider your child's age, appetite and the recommendation of Canada's Food Guide when determining serving sizes. For a small eater, half a sandwich may be sufficient when packed with other small snacks, such as cubed cheese, fruit, cut vegetables or whole grain crackers.
2. Active and growing children need many small and nutritious snacks to keep their energy levels up throughout the day. A healthy snack combines two to four of the food groups and is "tooth friendly" (doesn't sugar-coat teeth). These can include fresh fruit with yogurt dip, apples with cottage cheese, carrot sticks with tzatziki, whole grain crackers with cheese or pita bread with hummus.
3. Children need lots of fluid throughout the day. Proper hydration combats headaches, fatigue and listlessness. Water is the best choice to drink: pack a refillable water bottle in your child's lunch bag to encourage it. If serving juice, choose juice boxes labelled 100 per cent fruit or vegetable juice. Pack small portions; Canada's Food Guide counts 1/2 cup (125 mL) juice as one serving.
Do not let juice replace fresh fruits or vegetables: when consumed in large quantities, juice can cause weight gain.
4. Avoid snacks and beverages high in calories, fat, sugar and sodium, such as cookies, doughnuts, French fries, potato chips, fruit-flavoured drinks and soft drinks. Treat these as occasional snacks, best suited for home.
5. Involve your child in choosing his or her lunch menu. Including favourite foods and snacks ensures the lunch will be eaten at school. Stick to introducing new foods at home.
6. Be sure to offer a variety of foods in your child's lunch from day to day. For optimal growth and development, children require many different nutrients that come from a variety of foods. If they eat the same meals and snacks every day, they may miss out on essential nutrients. So, mix it up!
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