Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Lunch Box Ideas: Packing the Right Lunchbox Beverage

We can live for weeks without food but only a few days without water. It this forgotten transparent substance we all take for granted until disaster strikes and it is not quite so readily available. It is then under abnormal conditions that we often crave water and long for a nice hot bath to soak away our daily stresses and long for that tall glass of ice cold water to pour down our throats. We have forgotten what a wonderful nutrient it is and how essential it is to life and our everyday bodily functions. So, if your child is not having enough water on a daily basis they could be suffering from a mild form of dehydration causing ‘brain-stress’ which can cause them to simply “switch off” exacerbating many learning difficulties and affecting optimal daily functioning and performance in many other different ways.


We know that we have to encourage our children to drink more water yet as you unpack their cooler boxes for the fifth day in a row to discover that their water bottles are untouched or only slightly sipped we realise what a challenging and arduous task this could prove to be. How are we going to get the message through to them that water is the first choice when thirst hits? Don’t think of making a simple statement and highlighting all the virtues of a pure glass as I have often wondered if the following statement ” if mom says it don’t do it” has formed part of the national curriculum.

I have sourced a few excellent ideas to camouflage water and help make it the delight that it should be, but first things first, the beverage container. Opt for a bottle that seals properly and is small enough to pack inside their lunch or cooler box. There are many different colours, shapes and favourites out there to choose from or if you are pressed for time opt for ready to go pre-filled spring water bottles which you can grab each morning. One of my personal favourites is the Cool Gear Hourglass bottle with flip top spout, it is small enough to fit into the cooler box and comes with freezable ice sticks that fit neatly into the inside of the bottle to keep the drink cold.

There are many great ways to add some excitement to water here are a few of our lunch box ideas. Simply infuse a bottle of water with a slice of one of the following:

• Lemon or lime

• Tangerine

• Orange

• Cucumber

• Cucumber and lemon

• Mint leaves

• Berries (Raspberries, blackberries or strawberries)

Slip a single slice of one of the ingredients listed above inside the water bottle, you can also squeeze a small amount of juice directly into the water to flavour it slightly. Don’t be tempted to fill the bottle with too many slices of lemon as most children are not too fond of this taste and the attempt at disguising the flavour might then backfire.

15 comments:

Leah - WellTuned said...

I know only too well the challenge of getting my 4 year-old to drink water.

I once saw an interview with a nutritionist who called water 'The beverage of Champions.' I loved the term and that's what water is called in our house.

I try to lead by example, but it hasn't proved too successful yet, however if I do put it into 'fancier' containers, it does seem to spark more interest.

I hadn't thought of adding a slice of fruit, so thanks for that tip. Allowing him to pick what we put in might also be another drawing card!

Alisa said...

This is a great tip. Good thing though that my son drinks a lot of water.Once we tried adding some mint leaves to the water we brought along on our picnic and it was so refreshing.

Gabriel said...

Thanks to the post, now my younger brother likes his water, with the suggestion of the add-on of it, now it's no longer a problem to make him drink one.

Megan said...

Wow, This is a great tip. Once we tried adding some mint leaves to the water we brought along on our picnic and it was so refreshing. thanx for sharing.

Victoria said...

Actually, We have forgotten what a wonderful nutrient it is and how essential it is to life and our everyday bodily functions.

Diane said...

Hey Nice advise. I really like it. Thanks for sharing with us. :)

Lynn said...

I've been reading this blog and I enjoy it.I found great ideas.Thank you

Jane said...

Well, we tried adding some mint leaves to the water we brought along on our picnic and it was so refreshing. thanx for sharing.

Kayla said...

Amazing, This is a great tip. Once we tried adding some mint leaves to the water we brought along on our picnic, thanx for posting.

Katie said...

This is very helpful..Thanks for sharing.

jillian said...

Great lunchbox beverage the color are so nice i like it it helps me a lot thanks for sharing.

jean said...

Drinking a lot of water is good for health! anyways, nice and very informative post. Thanks

Christy said...

I hadn't thought of adding a slice of fruit, so thanks for that tip. Allowing him to pick what we put in might also be another drawing card! thanx for the share.

Jennifer said...

Once we tried adding some mint leaves to the water we brought along on our picnic and it was so refreshing.

Brittany said...

This is a great tip. Once we tried adding some mint leaves to the water we brought along on our picnic, thanx for posting.