Can These Lunchbox Ideas Improve Your Child's Focus?

Feeding Your School-Aged Champions

Food can play a pivotal role in your child’s ability to focus, learn, and engage at school.

There are specific food types that support cognitive function, memory, concentration, focus, and mood due to the nutrients that those foods contain. Unfortunately, there are also many common lunchbox items that have the opposite effect, causing unregulated energy patterns and difficulty with concentration.

What nutrients are the most helpful?

There are a wide range of beneficial nutrients for supporting your child’s health, but a some of the most helpful micronutrients for cognitive function and energy regulation are:

• B vitamins
• Iron
• Zinc
• Essential Fatty Acids
• Magnesium
• Vitamin C

There are also many benefits to balancing the macronutrients, for example:

1. Foods rich in complex carbohydrates support brain function, concentration, and regulation of energy.
2. Lean protein is one of the essential building blocks for strengthening and maintaining muscle function.
3. Fats are used for slow-releasing energy and if they are from the right source, can also significantly improve brain function, memory, and digestion.
4. Fruit and vegetables provide a wonderful collection of vitamins and minerals that improve cognitive function, energy, mood, and immune support. 

A meal with a variety food groups and nutrients will help your child to feel full easier and provides support for metabolism, cognitive function, and stable, long-lasting energy.

What should I pack in the lunchbox?

Use our table below to build your child’s lunchbox with a balance of nutrients, using options from each column.

What should I avoid?

A lot of common packaged snack and highly processed foods unfortunately contain high levels of sodium, preservatives, additives, and sugar. These ingredients dysregulate the energy patterns and can cause:

1. Restlessness
2. Poor concentration
3. Dehydration
4. Changes in mood

Try some of these swaps:

• White bread or wraps to wholegrain/rye bread or wraps
• Processed meats like salami to lean meat (chicken, beef, turkey, ham)
• Packet of flavoured potato chips to packet of plain single serve popcorn
• Chocolate biscuits to homemade oat and berry cookies
• Cakes, muffins or pastries to homemade muesli bar or banana muffin
• Cordial, soft drink, or fruit juice to plain water
• Lollies to piece of dried fruit or fresh berries

It might take a few tries for your child to start getting used to some different foods in the lunchbox. Swap the options over slowly and practice at home on the weekends to make the transition a little easier.

What if the lunchbox if full when my child comes home?

Sometimes your well-packed lunchbox is just going to come home full. There could be range of reasons your child didn’t eat their lunch, and sometimes it has nothing to do with what you packed!

Try talking to your child about why they didn’t have lunch today and include them in the process of packing lunch for tomorrow. You can also save any food that is safe to use again, and then provide a balanced, early dinner so your child is still getting access to all the nutrients they need that day. 

A well-balanced lunchbox ensures that your child has access to nourishing foods during the school day. You will be supporting their ability to learn, concentrate, and have plenty of energy each day. As a result, your child will also be supported with the right balance of nutrients for long term health, growth, and development. 

If you would like assistance with lunchbox planning and supporting your child nutritionally, please feel free to reach out to our team at ATUNE Health.

Article written by Clinical Nutritionist - Kathryn Dodds