September is fast approaching, and for many of us that means the kids are going back to school.

This year, it is also a popular time for many of us returning to the workplace, whether you’ve been working from home or furloughed.

Here at Aloe Vera Dental Studio, we are passionate about living a healthy lifestyle, that includes nutrition, mind and body. So hopefully our blog post today will give you a little motivation or simply a ‘boost’.

When returning to work or school, its very important we prepare a healthy and balanced lunch, that will provide us with the nutrients that we need.

Here is a guide to give you an idea of what to pack:

1. Healthy Starchy Food

For example, Pitta Bread, Wraps, Bagels, Pasta and Sandwiches. Opt for wholemeal, brown or seeded breads instead of white.

We love this wrap recipe;

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/hummus-rainbow-wraps

2. Protein Foods

For example, Meat, Fish, Eggs and beans.

3. A Dairy Item*

*Or fortified dairy alternative. Koko Dairy products are usually very good.

For Example, Cheese or yogurt.

Tip:  Read the Labels. Watch out for added sugars in certain kids yogurts, and yogurt drinks. Sometimes the smaller pre-packaged yogurts marketing for children’s school lunches are often the worst culprits.

4. Vegetables or Salad and a portion of fruit

Focus on getting the vegetable/salad in there, as this is usually the hardest. Something like a wrap or sandwich is ideal for sneaking in some baby spinach!

Tip: If you have a fussy eater, try making it look appealing. You can use kebab sticks and cookie cutters to make it nice and easy – yet very effective! (Great for the school lunch box)

I found a great website that had lots of tips to help with fussy eaters (I’ll be honest – I use them on my husband!)

https://www.brit.co/how-to-get-kids-to-eat-vegetables/

5. Drinks

Without a doubt, your best option is Water. and plenty of it.

Invest in a good quality refillable water bottle for the whole family. Remind yourself to refill it at work/school.

We actually shared a post last December on great gift ideas, and a reusable water bottle was one of our favourites! Link below;

https://www.aloeveradental.co.uk/christmas-gift-guide-2019-dental-edition/

As well as taking care of your nutrition, it may be a good time to address your fitness and stress levels – Perhaps they could be addressed together?

Exercise is a great form of stress relief and sometimes we don’t even realise how stressed we are, until we get that relief.

If you are struggling to get into the habit with exercise, don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Start small. There are 1000’s of 5-10 minute videos you can follow for free on YouTube.

Once you develop the habit, you can gradually increase your workout time. Everyone has 10 minutes, right?

There are also some great ‘kid friendly’ workout channels on YouTube such as Cosmic Kids Yoga, and Joe Wicks ‘The Body Coach’. Perhaps it could be something you schedule in to do as a family?

Also, make sure you are getting enough sleep. For adults, we need 6-8 hours per night. If you have to cut down on the caffeine or set a time to stop ‘scrolling’ on social media – do it for yourself!

Children need more sleep – particularly if they need to wake up for school! Try to follow a routine that enables children to have adequate sleep according to their age.

Stress can hugely impact our lives – find out what works for you and prioritise it.

‘You always have time for the things you put first’

For children, there are also some great mindfulness books out there that can really help.

I hope you found this blog post useful and that Aloe Vera Dental Studio can help you on your journey to health and well being.