RATING: 7 out of 10

User's comments:
Lean beef mince, brown rice stir-fry, roasted vegetables – the veggie mix is usually made up of baby potatoes, plum tomatoes, broad beans, babymarrow, patty pans, mini mealies and onion. Portion size is actually 2 tablespoons each of rice, mince and vegetables, despite the huge lunchbox.

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Expert's comments:
Thank you for your picture. Overall, your lunchbox is very wholesome and appears to be a good balance of a low-fat protein, fibre-rich carbohydrate and a variety of vegetables.

Here is an easy guide to portions of foods:

• CARBOHYDRATES/ STARCH: Approximately the size of your fist; a tennis ball; 1 slice bread
• PROTEIN: The palm to length of your hand (no thicker than the ‘pinky joint’); 1-2 packs of cards
• FRUIT: Size of your fist; a tennis ball
• VEGETABLES: Unlimited
• DAIRY: 1 cup low fat milk; 1 small tub low fat/ fat free yoghurt; matchbox block of cheese; 250-300 ml drinking yoghurt
• FAT: 1-2 level teaspoons oil (canola/ olive), ‘lite’ margarine, butter, peanut butter, regular mayonnaise; 1 tablespoon reduced oil/ ‘lite’ mayonnaise and salad dressing; ¼ medium avocado; any spreads ‘thinly’ on breads/ crackers; 1 small handful of nuts or seeds

Well done for eating so many different vegetables. Looking at what the different veggies provide, it’s clear that through including a good variety of vegetables, you are able to meet your body’s vitamin and mineral requirements.

Baby potatoes are a useful source of carbohydrates and often don’t get the recognition they deserve for the valuable amount of vitamins and minerals that they contain. They are an important source of potassium, various B vitamins and vitamin C. Take care when cooking potatoes as boiling leads to vitamin and mineral losses in the cooking water.

Tomatoes are real power-houses for various vitamins and antioxidants, including iron, vitamin C and lycopene. Vitamin C can help strengthen our immunity, aid wound healing, is a strong antioxidant and helps to maximise iron absorption.

Fresh mealies are excellent sources of magnesium, folic acid, vitamin B1, vitamin E and niacin, as well as lutein, an important nutrient in eye health. They also contain some vitamin C.

The flesh of baby marrows and patty pans consists predominantly of water, but their skins, which are usually soft enough to eat, contain good amounts of beta-carotene which the body converts to vitamin A.

Broad beans are a source of good-quality plant protein and fibre, particularly the soluble type which is beneficial for keeping your bowels regular as well as for helping regulate blood glucose and blood cholesterol levels. The beans also provide beta carotene (which the body converts to vitamin A), and contain some iron, niacin, vitamin C and vitamin E.

Remember to ensure that you achieve ‘lower fat eating’. Limit unhealthy fats, i.e. those fats obtained from animal products (saturated fat), hydrogenated fats and trans fatty acids (hard margarine, coffee creamers, coconut). Include more healthy fats, i.e. monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats from plant oils (canola oil, olive oil, avocado pear, peanut butter).
 

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