Cheestrings

Nutritionist Dr. Evelyn Hannan is a registered public health nutritionist. She holds a B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph. D in Nutrition. Her Ph. D was in the area of childhood nutrition. She worked in research and academia for a number of years before joining the food industry in 2007.

Feel free to ask Evelyn your questions about lunchboxes, dairy or other topics. Every month we’ll post a selection, so look out for yours.

What nutrients does cheese provide?
Cheese contains lots of important nutrients including protein (for growth and development) and calcium (for healthy teeth and bones) Cheese can also be a great source of vitamin B12 (for healthy red blood cells), riboflavin (helps release energy from food), vitamin A (for healthy eyes and skin) phosphorous (for the structure of bones and teeth) and zinc (for growth, wound healing and the immune system).

How can I make sure my 8 year old son is eating enough calcium?
A 7 to 10 year old child needs 550mg of calcium per day. So, for example a 200ml glass of milk (247mg), a 150ml carton of yoghurt (Xmg) and a cheestring (143mg) would meet this amount. It is important to remember that as your son gets older, he will need even more calcium. An 11 to 18 year old boy needs 1000mg of calcium and will need to increase the number of daily dairy portions he eats to ensure he is getting the amount of calcium that he needs.

What should I be looking out for when deciding which items to put into my son's lunchbox? There is so much information out there and I'm not sure what the key 'bad' things that I should avoid.
It can be difficult to know what to put in a lunchbox with so much information out there. Look at the lunchbox tips (see lunchbox page) for some guidance, You should also try to avoid items such as cakes, chocolates and biscuits and instead try scones, currant buns (without icing), fruit bread or dried fruit. Sweet Fizzy Drinks should be avoided and instead try water, milk and unsweetened fruit juice.

Variety and fun is important in the lunchbox not only to help ensure that children are getting a good mix of all the nutrients that they need, but also to keep lunch interesting & to make sure healthy lunchboxes come home empty! Products such as Cheestrings can be a fun way to add a portion of dairy to the lunchbox.