The subject of a healthy lunchbox is often the talk of mothers at the start of each new academic year as they try to strike a balance between providing healthy food and making it appealing enough for their children to enjoy.
Inas, the mother of a first grader, said her daughter does not like cheese, so she experiments with different recipes to provide nutritious and tasty alternatives.
One of her go-to options is muffins “for which countless variations can be found online. I whisk two eggs, a spoonful of vinegar, a cup of milk, and a quarter of a cup of olive oil, before adding vegetables and olives. I gradually mix in two cups of flour and a packet of baking powder, stirring continuously. The mixture is baked for 15 minutes.”
“I make this recipe once a week, as the quantity yields 12 muffins. I also add yoghurt and cut vegetables to the lunchbox,” Inas said.
Maha’s two children (second and fourth graders) are also picky eaters who only enjoy potatoes, burgers, and breaded chicken. Maha invested in an air fryer at the beginning of the school year, enabling her to prepare fries and chicken cutlets for them without compromising their health.
Nevine, meanwhile, has an eight-year-old daughter who is fond of luncheon meat, which as an ultra-processed food had begun to affect her health. “I experimented with different recipes to make luncheon meat at home, sometimes using processed cheese with gelatin, and other times using eggs and cheese, until I finally found a recipe close in taste to the factory-made version,” Nevine said.
“I boil a chicken breast with spices and then blend it with a little broth in which a spoonful of gelatin has been dissolved. I add smoked paprika for flavour and grated beetroot to give it a red colour.”
Magdi Nazih, a consultant in nutrition education and awareness, said the ideal school meal for a child should consist of two sandwiches with balanced nutritional components. These should supply the child with energy for movement and concentration, while avoiding foods high in fat that may impair focus.
He suggested that one sandwich could be filled with cheese salad, where the cheese provides protein, the bread supplies carbohydrates, and the vegetables add fibre and vitamins. The second sandwich could be a date-and-sesame mix, made by soaking fresh dates in water, kneading them with a small amount of clarified butter, and adding sesame seeds.
Nazih said that the foods usually available at home are better suited for breakfast or dinner rather than lunch, such as beans or eggs. He particularly recommended baladi bread over white rolls, as the latter contain bread improvers like propionic acid, and their aroma alone can tempt one to eat them plain.
It is important to avoid processed foods, especially luncheon meat and similar products, and rely on fresh juices made from natural fruit, he noted. Ideally, children should consume the fruit itself rather than juice, as whole fruits contain organic compounds lost during juicing.
Amal Ismail, a sports nutrition specialist for Egypt’s national roll ball team and author of Super Wasfa (Super Recipe: A Mother’s Guide for Nourishing the Young Athlete), said that children spend a long part of their day at school.
“They sleep for eight hours and spend more than eight hours at school. They must receive balanced nutritional elements: carbohydrates, protein, healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, and proper hydration. The best form of hydration, of course, is water,” she said.
Ismail said that a common mistake when preparing a lunchbox is packing white bread, such as soft rolls or toast, often filled with another starchy ingredient. “A white bread sandwich filled with jam consists of fast-absorbed carbohydrates that cause a rapid spike in blood sugar, followed by a sharp drop. This leads to fatigue and a lack of concentration,” she said.
Instead, she advised turning to natural sources of carbohydrates such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, baladi bread, whole oats, and whole wheat grains. “Combining these foods with healthy fats and protein helps stabilise blood sugar levels. The child’s body needs these elements for growth, concentration, and satiety.”
For proteins suitable for school, she recommended all varieties of plant-based protein, such as beans, lupin, and chickpeas. Even if chickpeas are not mashed into a sandwich, they can be packed whole with half a lemon in a tightly sealed container. “Chickpeas can also be considered a snack in themselves, providing a good dose of plant-based protein,” she said.
When it comes to cheese, Ismail said it is an important food providing both protein and calcium. However, she stressed the need to choose healthy varieties made from natural dairy fats, such as cottage cheese, white cheese, or any type of cheese free of vegetable oils or hydrogenated fats.
Hydrogenated oils are among the worst things children can consume, as they provide no nutritional value and diminish energy and focus. Eggs, an essential source of protein, should be consumed early in the day because they spoil quickly, she added.
“Children can obtain essential vitamins and minerals from fruit and vegetables. It is preferable to serve fruit whole, as this preserves its fibre content, which supports digestive health. Vegetables, meanwhile, provide a valuable dose of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, and may be offered whole, cut, or in salad form,” Ismail said.
Dairy is important, and Ismail advises plain baladi yoghurt without added sugar. But soft and energy drinks are entirely unsuitable, she said. “Soft drinks contain sugar levels exceeding the World Health Organisation’s recommended daily limit, while energy drinks have a high caffeine content, which can affect heart rhythm and blood pressure and pose serious health risks.”
She noted that meat, poultry, and other foods rich in animal protein should be reserved for children who engage in regular sports. “A child who exercises consistently has a higher level of physical activity and, therefore, greater nutritional needs. Since such children often spend little time at home, animal protein can be included in their school meals. To prevent spoilage, these foods should be packed in insulated lunch bags,” she advised.
While mothers may learn from reading and consulting nutrition specialists about what is healthy for their children, the real challenge lies in convincing children to actually eat it.
Nutritionist and health coach Diana Sabri said that “children are not interested in nutritional values or health benefits. What matters to them is linking food to their daily interests.”
“If a child enjoys running and wants to come in first in competitions, I tell him that ‘if you eat this sandwich or this apple, it will give you the energy to run faster.’ This way, we try to reach children indirectly and persuade them,” she added.
“It is not effective to suddenly switch to healthy food at the start of the school year without mentally preparing the child. Parents need to eat healthy food themselves, praise its taste, and regularly offer their children healthy options such as a plate of fruit or vegetables. This way, children gradually become accustomed to it.”
Sabri does not recommend associating unhealthy food with serious diseases, as this may frighten children. Instead, she suggests linking it to reduced energy or lack of concentration.
“I am not in favour of going to extremes by shaping food into Minnie Mouse faces, flowers, or butterflies in the lunchbox,” she added. “Over time, this exhausts mothers, even if they are not also working, because such efforts require significant time and energy.”
“Food should be presented simply, neatly, and naturally to ensure continuity. At the same time, attention must be paid to food safety, avoiding items that spoil quickly in hot weather and steering clear of processed meats, canned goods, and soft drinks, as they affect children’s focus and physical activity.”
* A version of this article appears in print in the 2 October, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
Short link: