Health boffins’ complicated lunch box recipes cost time and money
From making sushi from scratch to roasting chickpeas as a side dish, parents say health authorities are too out of touch with busy families when it comes to healthy lunch boxes.
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Parenting experts have told Cancer Council boffins to join them in the real world after it promoted overly complicated lunch box recipes to parents which are better suited to a MasterChef finale than a school playground.
It comes after The Daily Telegraph revealed that the Cancer Council had sent notes into schools telling children not to eat ham because of concerns it could cause cancer.
As part of its mission to get everybody eating healthy food, the Cancer Council’s Healthy Lunchbox website includes example meals to pack ahead of the school day.
Of 26 lunch boxes held up as a gold standard of health, one requires a parent to spend 30 minutes roasting chickpeas as an accoutrement to turkey and spinach rissoles which they must make from scratch.
Other recipes instruct parents to infuse tap water with cucumber while another lunch box plan says parents must assemble their own sushi.
Numerous recipes have more than 15 ingredients including “dried red lentils” for a cauliflower and spinach dahl.
That takes 35 minutes to prepare and cook and should be accompanied with naan bread — which also takes 35 minutes to prepare and cook.
Leading parenting expert Dr Justin Coulson said the messaging around healthy lunch boxes was putting too much pressure on busy parents who were just trying their best.
“The well intentioned advice from various bodies to help us be healthier is important but so too is having a healthy life balance,” he said.
“Most parents don’t have the capacity to create these masterpieces for mealtimes and while it would be great if everyone could ensure their children are getting the best ingredients, it is simply not possible for those who are living in the real world.
“There is nothing wrong with a devon and tomato sauce ham sandwich. Let’s take the pressure off parents and acknowledge that they’re doing the best that they can.”
NSW Parents Council president Rose Cantali said most parents couldn’t afford to buy the numerous ingredients required.
“What about the cost? We’re talking about a lettuce or cauliflower costing almost $10 at the moment,” she said.
“At the end of the day every parent wants to give their child good nutrition … but this is just another burden for them to feel guilty about.
“It is good for parents to be educated about what is healthy but we should leave it up to them about what they give them.”
Numerous high profile figures lashed the Cancer Council for telling children to stop eating ham.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said ham was great for kids.
“Didn’t Homer Simpson call the pig the amazing, wonderful animal? And we all love pig. We all love ham and pork and bacon, and I think it’s great for kids,” he said.
“I know with my kids, I start the week with ham and it kind of deteriorates over the course of the week, but the Cancer Council does a great job, but maybe they could sit this one out.”
A Cancer Council spokeswoman declined to comment.
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