Ana Hickey is a teacher aide at Totara Grove School who has made the decision to provide her sons with the best possible lunch they can have. She has seen first hand the effects of what a high sugar or packaged food lunchbox can have on children in the classroom and decided to lead by example.

“I live a busy life of a single working Mum so it was always ‘easier’ to throw chippies, snack bars and strings etc into lunch boxes in the morning. After listening to the sessions (school Energizer) Jen did in classes, discussing the foods our bodies need and how we should be eating ‘nude food’, I was motivated and actually excited to make the changes I needed to make. I learnt a lot.”

Ana’s two sons, Marshall and Corey attend Totara Grove School and also had the benefit of Jens talk in class.  Ana says “they have learnt just how unhealthy and nutritionally empty  a lot of the snack food is and have adapted fast to their new lunchboxes. They don’t even ask for the snack bars and other things now”.

Ana actually finds it so much easier now that she is in the habit to fill the boys lunchboxes with homemade popcorn, fruit, vegies such as carrots, crackers and a sandwich. “Letting them choose what fruit, vegies and extras they have in their lunch is a hit!” When making their healthy lunches, Ana says she just throws hers together too so the whole family is getting a beautiful healthy lunch.

Ana buys a big bag of carrots and a big bag of apples in her shopping which lasts her two weeks, this fills a lot more lunchboxes than the packets of 6 bars that used to go in there and only last 3 days between the two boys.

Ana, Marshall and Cody have also found a love for homemade popcorn, buying the kernels which seem to last forever and go a lot further than the small packets of popcorn they used to buy which were covered in butter.

And the added bonus of changing to healthy lunches? The cost! “I have found my groceries are so much cheaper now that there are no snacky, packaged lunch box items. And now we have yummy healthy lunches. It’s win win!”

Great for the boys, great for Mum and great for the budget!