Any healthy snack idea for lunch box?

[CharlaM]

I need some good ideas as my DD started primary school, but when pre-pairing a lunchpack beside the sandwich it would be nice to put something healthier instead of crisps or cocholate. What healthy snacks do you pack?

in addition to sandwiches DD usually has a couple of the following

veg sticks - combo of carrots, pepper or cucumber

olives and feta cheese

sticks of cheddar cheese

Tub of berries

I got not much time in the mornings so I try to give my kids something pre-packed like a yoghurt, mixed nuts, cheese strings and lately I found a really good gluten and sugar free "candy" called Fruitickles

My son had a cheddar cheese stick, a yogurt, some fruit, and a small chocolate bar from a miniatures bag

Good ideas! Thank you very much all!

EstherMommy where can I get this Fruitickles?

EstherMommy, this Fruitickles sounds interesting, what is this? How it looks? My 4-year daughter loves fruit, but I'm looking for some more practical to carry around.

DS gets a mini tortilla wrap with ham, a cheese string, bunch of grapes, box of raisins, yoghurt pouch and a small malt loaf (banana flavour).

He's 7 so quite a decent portion and not too messy!

Fruitickles are sadly another genius marketing tool in the vein of fruit winders & the like-called something fruity, made with 100% fruit to fool us into thinking we're giving our kids something healthy. Once you remove the fibre/water/goodness from fruit and cook it down you intensify the sugar (which isn't better because it's fruit sugar), it's the same damage to your child's teeth and body as a pack of haribo!

Each little pack contains over 4 tsp sugar; a primary aged child should be having no more than 6 tsp a day anyway, so disengenuous products like this masquerading as 'fruit' are adding to the tooth & general health problems for well intentioned parents, as they probably don't even register them in the same category when later deciding that the child can have some cake/sweets/biscuits as hasn't had a treat that day.

Can you tell I have a huge issue with such products! My fruit-phobic sonwas given bear yoyo by my mother as she thought he was at least getting 'some fruit'. Far better to up the veg intake and hide whole fruits in homemade smoothies/pancakes/muffins etc. At least that way they're getting the nutrients and the fibre in order to be able to deal with the naturally occurring sugar.

As for healthy snack-chunk of cheese, carrot batons, pot of sweetcorn, cherry tomatoes, cucumber/pepper sticks etc. Or if you want to give a sweet treat, make a banana loaf (use wholewheat or spelt flour, less sugar and natural fat like butter/oil-Google for a healthier version), and cut up into small slices and freeze. They will still be getting some sugar but not as much and with other good stuff too. It'll be more filling and satisfying as well.

I adviced Fruitickles as it has fructose in it, which is a lot better than the glucose syrup or high fructose corn syrup that are often used in gummies. Fructose is far less likely to lead to being overweight or chronic disease. I also checked each pack contains only 60 kcal. As a working mum with not much time I find it as a great solution to quickly put in the lunchbox but still provide my children some fiber, minerals and Vitamin C.

To have a balanced diet kids need both fruits and vegetables. Sugar is a natural part of our diet and children especially need it as they are always in the move. A dentist friend of mine also gives it to her daughter as she says other candies she would come across anyway. About the teeth it is just important to keep a good oral hygiene (brush the teeth 2 times a day).

Although everyone is entitle to make an informed decision about what they give their children as a treat, and for convenience and a replacement for regular candy, then Fruitickles is great.

Fruitickles don't contain any minerals or vitamin c, and very little fibre. The fruit in its natural state would have, but by processing it like this the good nutrients are lost and the sugars concentrated. The fructose in an orange is better than the glucose in an orange sweet, but these fruit snacks bare no resemblance to fruit, and are made from concentrated fruit juice rather than fruit itself, so the fact the sugar is fructose is irrelevant; it's not balanced out by the fibre in the actual whole fruit, which is what gives fructose the edge on glucose.

If convenience is what you want, what could be more convenient than grabbing a piece of fruit from a bowl? Kids shouldn't be having 'candy' in a lunchbox-alternative or otherwise. Especially not candy dressed up as an alternative to fruit. What's wrong with fruit?

My 4yo DD loves taking a lunch box to school which is great as she's quite a picky eater usually and so far her teacher says she's eaten everything I've sent.

She takes a morning snack which has to be fruit and is usually a banana, then for lunch she'll have a small ham/tuna/cheese sandwich, a squeezy yogurt, another piece of fruit, a mini pack of biscuits such as party rings or gingerbread men and a carton of fruit juice and then an afternoon snack of malt loaf and a piece of cheese.

My DS likes the organix snacks. You can get all sorts in the range - rice cakes, fruit nibbles, crisp-type things, and DS particularly likes the oaty and crispy bars. Most supermarkets sell them I think.

My DD loves fruit, but I realised banana causing her constipation. If she eats a banana afternoon, she is so full, won't eat the dinner. She likes apples, but a whole is difficult for her to manage. I tried with apple slices, but they turn brown so fast, then she rejects. Hey, I am a working mother, need to give her a little snack while getting home from nursery. This is why Fruitickles sounded interesting made with 100% fruit - better than gummy candies, loads of colourings - Haribo is full of animal gelatine, disgusting

Freebird1985 here is how it looks like. You can find it in Tesco, Sainsburys etc. I hope your girl'll like it :)

About the apple I usually sprinkle some lemon juice over the slices then it doesn't turn brown. Just an idea

You can get little bags of apple slices in asda, I think they are 5 for £1.50 (expensive for fruit but probably cheaper than the fruit 'snacks') and perfect for lunch boxes. They also do grapes, pineapple and watermelon so you can have different fruit every day and it will keep fresh

Thanks a lot! Lately I combined the lunch box with some apple slices (thx for the idea MadameJosephine), bag of nuts like cashews, chestnut, Organix finger foods apple rice cakes (yummy), yoghurt and also tried Fruitickles. I know there has been a lot of debate about it here around, but my DD likes it and I think its sometimes a good treat for her and at least I don't need to buy her real candies :)