Magazine Features > Children's Health 7-12
     
 
The 3rd of our four special features covering the progression of childrens health.
  
ust about every parent is familiar with the 'lunchbox dilemma' - what to give your children that's both healthy and fun.
  A healthy lunchbox should help to improve your child's attention, behaviour and learning throughout the day and into the afternoon. It should provide one third of your child's daily requirements of nutrients.
Tips for a healthy lunch:
TIP 1: Protein - Make sandwiches using protein fillings such as chicken, egg, ham, tuna or cheese or make salads such as Chicken Caesar salad or Tuna pasta salad.
TIP 2: Carbohydrates - Choose complex carbohydrates such as wholemeal bread, pasta, banana or rice. Pasta or rice salads make a nice change from sandwiches.
TIP 3: Calcium - Cheese, yoghurt, fromage frais, yoghurt drinks, smoothies and milkshakes are all excellent sources of calcium.
TIP 4: Fruit and vegetables - Whole fruit may not be that appealing to youngsters, so try cutting fruit into chunks and threading it onto skewers or thin straws. Include dried fruit too - dried apricots in particular are rich in vitamins and minerals.

There are lots of different ways for children to exercise...
Simply walking or cycling to school is a good way to start. Team sports can also be great fun, and can improve coordination, balance, and team skills. Most community sports centres run team sports activities for children, such as football, basketball and volleyball. Ask your local sports centre for more information.

If your child(ren) do not like team sports, there are plenty of other fun activities for them to try, such as swimming, dance, and martial arts.

Get them involved!
Cooking lessons for children are being rolled out in all schools in England to increase children's awareness about the importance of food and cooking a healthy dish. So, next time you need help with cooking ask the kids to help you out, you'll be surprised how much they enjoy it - it's an excellent way to get them involved and learn
about different types of food, how to prepare and cook a simple but healthy meal.

Remember to take care of your child in the kitchen to avoid any accidents!

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