BENTO BOXES – Healthy Children’s Lunches On The Go

With the summer term in full swing, bento boxes are rising in popularity for children as parents try to create healthy and exciting packed lunches.

Bento boxes are traditionally a Japanese invention designed to carry a nutritious, well balanced meal to school in an efficient and compact way. Using an array of different shaped compartments to create a visually appealing and fun arrangement to encourage children to adopt healthy eating habits. Bento boxes have now become the perfect box to pack school lunches in, especially as it eliminates the need for packaging and pre-packed foods.

For parents it can really help those with finicky eaters because they can fill the bento boxes with a wide selection of visually appealing foods. Children will learn to eat new foods when given the opportunity and these boxes are divided into small compartments, so a meal is made up of multiple small dishes rather than one main course.

If a child doesn’t like a particular texture or ingredient these lunch boxes make it incredibly easy for mum or dad to spot and make a mental note that the leftover tomato (the usual culprit) has been chosen as a ‘disagreeable’ food. Moreover, with dividing sections, there should be less chance of a whole lunch being wasted as foods haven’t been touching (beware some children get awfully upset over cross contamination!)

Bento boxes come in all shapes and colours and can include a variety of different compartment sizes. They have become a stylish and useful accessory, whatever the weather and the different sized compartments encourage sensible portions as well as providing a more varied and balanced lunch. From slimline 3 compartment boxes to brightly coloured Goodbyn boxes with a section for drink bottles. Nude Food Movers from Australia are a popular option for children, as they offer a large and mini rubbish-free range, specifically designed for small eaters and older children with bigger appetites. Ranging from £6.98 to £16.98 in price, with some including insulated sleeves!

Popular for their convenience in storing and transporting lunch in a neat and portable way. They are the best way to transport school packed lunches as they do not require plastic bags or separate food containers. Usually featuring a main storage area and three to four airtight compartments with removable plastic dividers, parents can pack an array of chopped up vegetables, filled bread rolls, yoghurt pots, mini muffins and a carefully portioned section filled with crisps and fruit.

For children it makes for an exciting experience. They will love to open up their lunch box each day and reveal the ‘gift boxed’ little treats. My only grumble is that I wish I had one growing up as a kid!