Influencer mum Justine Ilarda’s disappointing truth about ‘healthy’ school canteen options

Justine has enough on her plate with five daughters, but says the disappointing truth about “healthy” tuck shop options doesn’t make life any easier.

Perth based lifestyle influencer Justine Ilarda with daughters Olivia, 16, Adele, 13, Penelope, 8, Daisy, 5, and Matilda, 2. Picture: Supplied

Lifestyle influencer Justine Ilarda has enough on her plate with five young daughters, but says canteen options don’t make things any easier.

The 39-year-old Perth mum, with more than 220k followers on Instagram, thinks it is time for schools to move with the times as more and more parents cut back on processed foods.

Here, the Western Australian who shares her life online under @justy_olive, explains why her children don’t eat canteen lunches.

As a mum of five girls, I place great importance on what goes into their lunch boxes.

While I sometimes wish I could order from the canteen, some of the ingredients put me off and the “healthy options” aren’t as healthy as they seem.

For example, rice paper rolls or sushi are packed with sugar, preservatives and additives like flavour enhancers and colours.

I am grateful they include the ingredients list for kids with allergies and for those who wish to make informed decisions on what they choose for their kids.

I do wish, however, that more schools understood the link between our kids’ diets and their behaviour, but unfortunately, many don’t.

Children need fat and protein for brain development and fuel, with minimal added sugars.

It would be great to see more protein in school canteens and more home-cooked meals made from fresh, local ingredients, free from added sugar and additives.

Real food ensures our kids feel good and gives them the energy they need.

I have heard from a few parents that their kids’ schools do make their food from scratch, and this is great.

We just need more schools involved!

But for now, I will continue making my kids’ lunch boxes every day.

Kids don’t need extravagant food, just real food, healthy fats, protein, fruits, and vegetables.

I love filling their lunch boxes with foods like eggs, homemade sushi with tuna or salmon, chicken, cheese, and avocado sandwiches, hummus and homemade sausage rolls.

For anyone who wants to stay away from processed or packaged foods, I find it helpful to bake snacks in bulk, such as muffins, protein balls and high-protein granola bars, every few weeks and freeze them.

It takes me about 20 minutes every night to make their lunch boxes, and it’s so handy to be able to grab a homemade healthy baked snack from the freezer to pop into their lunch boxes.

Having different snack options in the freezer for different days keeps it varied and interesting for them.

Originally published as Influencer mum Justine Ilarda’s disappointing truth about ‘healthy’ school canteen options