Students eat lunch at Plum High School in suburban Pittsburgh, Jan. 18, 2007. (Andrew Rush/Associated Press)

The new school year is the perfect time to think about ways to fight lunch bag boredom while encouraging healthy eating habits for your children.

Proper nutrition for children is critical for growth and development, and it's no surprise that it also plays a role in behaviour, mental function and school performance. In other words, healthy snacks and lunches should provide a child with enough energy and nutrients to help them stay active and help them concentrate throughout the day.

While packing a lunch that is enjoyable and healthy may seem daunting, a little planning and know-how can make things a lot easier.

Plan ahead

Organizing healthy lunches for your child doesn't have to be an overwhelming task, particularly if you put a few simple things together ahead of time. Instead of tossing whatever's handy into their lunch boxes as they are running out the door, consider some of the following tips:

• Set a couple of hours aside on the weekend to plan and shop for all the food you'll need for the week ahead. You can also batch cook and freeze individual portions for a grab-and-go lunch during the week.
• Plan for leftovers. When cooking dinner, plan on making extra for an easy lunch the next day.
• Do some food preparation ahead of time. For example, peel and chop enough fruits and vegetables to last the whole week (to prevent the fruit from going brown, sprinkle it with lemon juice). Better yet, package them ahead of time so that they are ready to throw in a lunch bag.
• Encourage your kids to help with the planning, shopping and preparing. This will allow you guide them in making their own healthy food choices.
• Keep all lunch supplies together. If your child is old enough to pack their own lunch, dedicate one cupboard or shelf to lunch and snack foods — this will take the guesswork out of what to pack and give them a sense of independence, but you'll still be sure they're getting nutritious food.
• Keep the house stocked with healthy foods that your child likes, and don't keep unhealthy snacks stacked in the pantry. If junk food isn't easily available, they will be less likely to eat it.
• Pack lunches the night before — this will help with the morning rush and get everyone out the door on time.

What to pack

Ensure that the healthiest foods from a variety of food groups are included in your child's lunch. That means plenty of fruit and vegetables, whole grains, milk products (or calcium fortified alternatives), and protein from lean meats or alternatives. If your child has a favorite treat, let them enjoy it in moderation by adding it to their lunch box once a week.

Mix things up a bit and make lunchtime something your child looks forward to during the day — that way, they'll be less likely to trade their lunch for something less wholesome. For younger children, consider making things fun by engaging their senses with brightly coloured bite-sized pieces of fruit and vegetables, sandwiches cut into shapes using a cookie cutter, or foods they can stack, dip or roll.

But don't fill your child's lunchbox with heavily processed pre-packaged lunches and snacks. While these items may be more convenient, they are often loaded with sodium, fat and sugar and do little in terms of providing much-needed nutrients and sustainable energy.

Don't include foods that can trigger an allergic response, such as peanuts. According to Health Canada, the number of children with life-threatening food allergies is increasing. The most common foods that can trigger an allergic response are nuts, fish and seafood, wheat, eggs and milk. Even traces of these allergens are enough to cause a life-threatening allergic response in children with allergies.

In response to this, many schools have restrictions on foods children can bring to school, the most common being a ban on nuts. Contact your child's school directly to learn more about any restrictions they have in place.

To ensure you are not sending a food containing an allergen to school with your child, always read the labels on food items and avoid foods that contain the allergen or may have been in contact with it.

Keep hot foods hot, cold foods cold

In order to reduce the risk of food-borne illness, ensure hot foods are kept hot, and cold foods cold until your child is ready to eat their lunch.

The best way to keep hot foods at a safe temperature, 60 C or hotter, is to keep them in a well-sealed thermos until they are ready to be eaten.

Cold foods need to be kept at 4 C or cooler. An excellent way to keep foods cold is to pack them in an insulated lunch bag with a frozen juice box or water bottle; this will help keep the temperature down.

Think outside the (lunch) box

To avoid the sandwich blues, here are some healthy meal and snack ideas that are lunchbox appropriate:

• Pita pockets — pack chicken, lettuce and tomatoes in a container so your child can fill their own pita pocket at lunch.
• Use a wide-mouth thermos to pack warm foods such as macaroni and cheese, chili, stew (or even a hot dog as a treat).
• Tortilla roll — spread hummus on a whole-wheat tortilla and cover with veggies before wrapping into a roll.
• Pasta salad — combine whole-wheat pasta (wagon wheels or ABCs) with flaked tuna, chopped veggies and low fat salad dressing.
• Cold mini pizzas — make mini pizzas on whole-wheat English muffins and have your child add their favourite toppings.
• Make a sandwich puzzle. Cut out the centre of a sandwich using a variety of cookie cutter shapes.
• Arrange brightly coloured bite-sized fruit on a popsicle stick. To prevent the fruit from going brown, sprinkle it with some lemon juice. Use low-fat yogurt as a fruit dip.
• Low-fat air-popped popcorn is a whole-grain treat that makes a great lunchbox snack.

Using school lunches as an opportunity to teach your children the importance of proper nutrition will provide them with the nutrients they need in the short-term, while giving them healthy eating habits they can use for years to come.