Low Protein Packed Lunch Ideas
One of the many things you will be preparing for when your child attends pre-school or school - as well as their uniform, book bag, water bottle and general before-school morning madness - is what they will have for their packed lunch.
It is important that your child has a lunch that they enjoy, so it is worthwhile involving your child in choosing and preparing what they will eat. If your child has helped to make or pack their own lunch, then they are more likely to eat it.
Often, children want something fast to eat at lunch time so they can get on with the important task of…playing! Make sure your child’s lunches are easy to eat and fuss-free. Try not to offer too much food as this can overwhelm them or they may choose snack items and leave the low protein sandwich/fruit. Think simple, small and lots of variety such as:
Ask your dietitian for lunchtime phe exchange suggestions. They may know of some handy exchange ideas that you hadn’t thought of. Make a list with your child of the phe exchanges they like and then allow them to pick their options from this list each day.
-Talk with your child about the importance of not swapping their lunch box food or drinks with friends.
- Ask the teacher to be supportive of this and possibly put a class rule into place that no one can swap food or drink items. This can be useful for everyone as other children may have special diets (for example, a Halal diet). This also stops a child with PKU being single out.
- Make sure your child knows to bring home what they haven’t eaten in their lunchbox. This will help you keep track of what they’ve had during the day and if they have had all their phe exchanges.
