Packing a healthy school lunch every day for your child can be challenging - especially during those rushed mornings when everything seems to go wrong. But with our family fun guide to packing lunchboxes, when your kids go back to school this year, you'll be one step ahead.

The problem

When packing school lunches, it is hard to think of new, healthy things every day that your kids will enjoy - and you don't want to cause any upsets. But if you give in and let them eat hot dogs and chocolate cake once, you can look forward to endless begging for the same meal again. Preparation helps you stay strong in the face of time constraints and pleading eyes.

The solutions

1) Plan ahead

Small plastic containers are ideal for school lunches. Fill them up, and they are all set to be frozen or stacked in the fridge. Choose one day of the week to prepare lunches and snacks. Make enough for the next seven days. Stock them in the freezer.

2) Keep snacks fruity

Dice up fresh fruit, mix the fruit with plain or flavoured yogurt and freeze for a healthy and delicious snack. Freeze portions of snow peas, sliced peppers, and baby carrots. Serve with ranch, Cesar, or Thousand Island dressing. Toss a few juice cartons in the freezer to keep lunchboxes cool.

3) Make the change

White bread is not healthy for growing children. The label must indicate whole wheat, whole oats, rye, or barley as the first ingredient, to be healthy.

Replace high fat lunchmeats such as salami with low-fat turkey, roast beef, or chicken breast. Leave the cheese off sandwiches unless you purchase low-fat dairy productsl.

Choose fresh fruit over canned for a healthier selection. Grapes, apples, cherry tomatoes, pineapple, bananas, raisins, dried cranberries, prunes, melon, pears, and cherries are all suitable for healthy school lunches. If you must use canned fruit, rinse off the sugary syrup before packing.

Also, switch to skimed or semi-skimmed milk instead of whole milk, to cut the fat from unneccessary dietary areas.Check drink boxes and choose brands of 100% fruit juice instead of sugary, fruit-flavored drinks.

4) Avoid at lunch...

Snacks laden with preservatives and sugar may taste good, but they are not healthy choices Cakes and sweet bread are healthier than these, though not if consumed on a daily basis. Things like banana bread, zucchini bread or pumpkin bread can be delicious, especially when combined with toppings like light cream cheese. Homemade cookies are healthier than store-bought ones, since you control the ingredients.

Prepackaged lunches often contain high fat and high calorie ingredients. Frozen pizzas, snack crackers and instant soups often include high concentrations of sugar and salt. Create your own snack crackers by spreading plain crackers with peanut butter, fruit preserves, or cream cheese.

5) Other tips

Toss in a few individually packaged wet wipes to remind your child to wash hands before eating. Never reuse plastic or paper bags. Wipe down lunch pails daily to keep germs from contaminating foods.

Small, healthy changes in your child's lunch instill healthy eating habits that last a lifetime. Introduce these changes slowly, allowing your child to adjust to new flavors and textures. Eating healthy is a learned behavior. Be consistent and do not cave to the pleas of your child to purchase unhealthy snacks and packaged foods.

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