by Tamar Chamlian

The alarm goes off again. Another day…you need to get yourself out of bed, get your creative juices flowing, and prepare your kids a healthy lunchbox for school.

The challenge for parents today is creating a healthy balanced lunchbox meal ensuring their children receive all the required nutrients, and at the same time giving them things that they want to eat (and WILL actually eat).

Here are five easy tips to render your child’s lunchbox “yummier” and more child-friendly, creative, and appealing:

1. Use a variety of breads during the week. Make a tuna sandwich with whole grain toast one day, and a cream cheese bagel the next.
   Other ideas for bread: White toast, multi-grain toast, white French baguette, whole grain French baguette, plain bagel, sesame bagel, olive bagel, flour, whole wheat tortillas, pita bread, wholewheat burger bun, etc.
2. Introduce new items that are fun and creative, such a hummus dip with carrots or cucumbers, bean dips with side crackers, or even fruit dips with plain crackers.
3. Add items such as low fat yogurt — plain, fruity, or chocolate – as their snack or dessert.
4. Substitute potato chips with things like almonds, nuts, sunflower seeds or dried apricots, raisins, prunes, or with fruit chips that can have a variety of sliced grilled apples, bananas, peaches, and grape tidbits.
5. Pack a small water bottle to encourage water consumption, as well as a small fruit juice. If you have the time to make a fruit juice or smoothie yourself at home, all the better, because your children will benefit from the extra the vitamins and nutrients found in fresh, unprocessed foods.

Tamar Chamlian studied in Lebanon and the U.K. She is a food scientist and holds a Master’s degree in food marketing. She currently lives in Switzerland.