Guess what!? It’s time for school!

And just like that, September has arrived, bringing with it back to school and a more structured daily routine, with more responsibilities, studying and extracurricular activities.

The new school year is a great opportunity to get children’s eating habits back on track, with you, of course, being one of the most important role models for your child.

If you are a parent, chances are that the new school year also brings back the familiar everyday questions: What breakfast for kids should you prepare before school? What should you pack in the school lunchbox so that it is nutritious but also something your child will actually eat? What can you have ready for those days when time is tight? Does every snack need to be a complete meal? And is there anything you can do through nutrition to support your child’s immune system now that they are going back to school?

The good news is that balanced nutrition for children does not need to be complicated or require endless hours of preparation. With a few basic principles, some organization and smart combinations, you can create an everyday eating routine that is nutritious, practical and, most importantly, realistic for the whole family.

From breakfast before the first school bell rings to the lunchbox and afternoon snack, let’s see how you can give the new school year’s nutrition a 10 out of 10.

The Foundations of a Balanced Diet for Children

During childhood and adolescence, a balanced diet is particularly important, as it needs to support normal growth and provide the energy and essential nutrients children need in their everyday lives.

Variety, balance and regular meals are key principles of a healthy diet for children. The goal is not to look for “perfect” foods, but to gradually establish an eating pattern that provides your child with different food groups and meets their needs as they grow.

The 10 Golden Rules of Healthy Eating for Children

A useful everyday guide is the Ten Golden Rules of Healthy Eating for Children, based on the recommendations of the National Dietary Guide:

• Offer a variety of fruits and vegetables every day, choosing different colors and seasonal options.
• Include dairy products every day, such as milk, yogurt and cheese.
• Choose whole-grain cereals, such as whole-grain bread and pasta, brown rice and quinoa, thereby also increasing fiber intake.
• Include lean red or white meat 2–3 times a week, limiting processed meat as much as possible.
• Aim to include fish and seafood 2–3 times a week, with at least one of these meals including oily fish, such as sardines or salmon.
• Make sure legumes are included in the weekly diet at least once.
• Include 4–7 eggs per week.
• Use olive oil as the main source of added fat, both in cooking and in salads.
• Limit the consumption of sugar and salt, as well as foods that contain them in high amounts.
• Remember that a healthy lifestyle is not limited to the plate: encourage physical activity as part of your child’s everyday life.

Remember that the above principles do not need to be followed perfectly at every meal. What matters is to look at your child’s diet as a whole throughout the day and week and use these principles as a practical guide towards greater variety and balance.

Breakfast Before School: Simple, Quick and Balanced

School mornings usually come with one major limitation: time. To create a balanced breakfast for children without complicated preparation, try combining a source of carbohydrates, preferably whole grain, with a source of protein and a piece of fruit.

Depending on the meal, you can also add a source of unsaturated fats, such as avocado, tahini or nut butter.

4 Easy School Breakfast Ideas

1. Overnight Oats Prepared the Night Before

Mix oats with milk or yogurt and leave them in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, add banana or berries and a little tahini or 100% nut butter.

For greater variety in texture, you could occasionally add a few Freche Freunde Pillows as a crunchy topping.

2. Yogurt Bowl with Fruit

Combine yogurt with oats, fresh fruit and a little tahini or finely chopped nuts, depending on your child’s age.

You could also add some crushed Freche Freunde Apple–Carrot Bar as a topping.

3. Avocado Toast with Egg

Add an egg and a little avocado or cheese to whole-grain bread and serve it with a piece of fruit.

4. 2-Minute Breakfast

Spread tahini or 100% natural peanut butter on whole-grain bread, add banana slices and serve with a glass of milk.

For a different occasional option, you could also choose Antonopoulos whole-grain spelt tsoureki, served with milk or yogurt and a piece of fresh fruit.

Extra tip: Prepare whatever you can the night before. Overnight oats, washed fruit or even the toast ingredients ready in the refrigerator can save you valuable time the next morning.

How to Create a Nutritious and Balanced School Lunchbox

The school lunchbox is another opportunity to provide your child with valuable nutrients. An easy way to organize it is to use Harvard’s Kid’s Healthy Eating Plate as a guide.

In practice, try to make approximately half of the meal fruit and vegetables, one-quarter whole grains and the remaining one-quarter a quality source of protein.

A small amount of dairy and/or sources of unsaturated fats can complement the meal, while water should be the main beverage.

What to Put in Your Child’s Lunchbox

To make it easy, choose:

• 1 piece of fruit, such as an apple, banana, pear, grapes, berries or another seasonal fruit.
• 1–2 vegetables, such as cucumber, carrot, cherry tomatoes or peppers.
• 1 source of whole grains, such as whole-grain bread or pita, oats or whole-grain crackers.
• 1 source of protein, such as egg, chicken, cheese, yogurt, hummus or legumes.
• Nuts and nut butters, always depending on your child’s age and the relevant safety guidelines.
• Water as your child’s main beverage throughout the school day.

3 Healthy School Lunchbox Ideas

Whole-grain sandwich: whole-grain bread, cheese and cherry tomatoes + cucumber and carrot sticks + a piece of fresh fruit or 100% natural juice or an organic fruit bar.

Whole-grain pita: whole-grain pita with hummus, chicken and vegetables + cherry tomatoes and cucumber + a seasonal piece of fruit.

Whole-grain crackers: whole-grain crackers + cheese + boiled egg + cherry tomatoes, cucumber, carrot and colorful peppers + a piece of fresh fruit.

And don’t forget that presentation matters! Different colors, small bento-style compartments and foods cut into fun shapes can make the contents more appealing, especially for younger children.

Extra tip: Let your child participate! For example, give them two fruit or vegetable options and let them decide which one will go into the lunchbox. This way, you maintain the structure of the meal while also giving them the opportunity to participate in the choice.

Small Snack or Complete Lunchbox?

Not every snack needs to have the composition of a complete lunchbox. For a small snack between main meals, you can simply combine a source of carbohydrates with a source of protein and, where appropriate, add fruit, vegetables or a source of healthy fats.

Healthy Snack Ideas for Children

Try, for example:

• yogurt + fresh fruit,
• whole-grain bread + tahini + banana,
• vegetables cut into sticks + hummus,
• cheese + fruit + whole-grain crackers,
• mini whole-grain sandwich with cheese and vegetables.

Ready-to-Eat Snacks for Busy Days

But what happens on those days when there is absolutely no time for preparation? Ready-made options can have a place in a balanced diet for children, as long as you know what you are choosing and incorporate them appropriately into the overall meal.

For example, you could add Freche Freunde cocoa and oat cubes with no added sugar or a Freche Freunde bar or Biofresco alongside yogurt or cheese and a piece of fresh fruit.

For older children, an organic MYBAR Kids bar, which is free from gluten, palm oil and preservatives, can also be a practical option.

For younger children, there are options such as Holle and Biobim, which should always be selected according to the age indication on the packaging.

Similarly, when carrying a whole piece of fruit is not practical, you could occasionally choose a Vitabio fruit purée or Babybio without added sugar, or 100% natural juice made from freshly squeezed organic fruit, such as those from Your Organic Nature.

Organic fruit chips for children, which are gluten-free and contain no sugar, can also be an easy, quick and nutritious option.

And since we mentioned the word chips, if your child prefers savory and crunchy snacks, you can occasionally add organic Castagno corn and pea snacks, which contain protein and fiber and no added sugar.

What Does “No Added Sugar” Mean?

Important label tip: The indication “no added sugar” does not necessarily mean “sugar-free.”

A product may contain naturally occurring sugars from fruit or dried fruit, while the sugars contained in fruit juices and concentrated fruit juices are considered free sugars.

What Does Your Child Drink at School?

For everyday hydration, water is the first choice. Put a reusable water bottle in your child’s school bag so that they have easy access to water throughout the day.

A 100% natural juice can be an occasional option as part of a balanced diet and can accompany a main meal or snack.

For example, one such option could be Your Organic Nature natural apple or apple–mango juice.

Back to School: What Really Helps the Immune System?

With back to school and increased contact between children, infections often become more frequent. However, there is no single food or nutrient that, on its own, can “protect” or “boost” the immune system.

What you can do is make sure your child’s diet provides adequate energy, protein and the micronutrients required for the normal functioning of the immune system.

Protein, iron, zinc and vitamins A, C and D are particularly important.

In practice, as we saw above in the Ten Golden Rules of Healthy Eating, choose variety: eggs, fish, meat, dairy products and legumes, colorful fruits and vegetables every day, and sources of vitamin D, such as oily fish, egg yolk and fortified foods.

Another practical tip is to combine plant-based sources of iron, such as legumes, with a source of vitamin C. For example, you can pair lentils with peppers or add a vitamin C-rich fruit to the same meal to help improve the absorption of non-heme iron.

Extra tip: Remember that supporting the immune system does not stop at nutrition. Adequate sleep, daily physical activity, proper hydration and good hand hygiene are equally important parts of everyday life.

Organization Is the Secret to a Balanced Lunchbox

A nutritious school lunchbox does not need to be perfect or time-consuming. A few minutes of preparation the night before can make a big difference.

Getting your child involved in the preparation can also help them become familiar with different foods and gradually begin to understand what a balanced meal means.

After all, the goal is not a “perfect” lunchbox, but the creation of a balanced, varied and practical eating routine that can be maintained over time.

Small, consistent habits can provide an excellent foundation for a healthy relationship with food that will stay with your child beyond their school years.

Pinelopi Alexandropoulou
Dietitian – Nutritionist

References

1. Ministry of Health – Prolepsis Institute. National Dietary Guide for Infants, Children and Adolescents.
2. National Action against Childhood Obesity. Dietary Recommendations for Children and Adolescents. Ministry of Health & UNICEF.
3. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Packing a Healthy Lunchbox – Kid’s Healthy Eating Plate.
4. World Health Organization. Healthy Diet. WHO, 2026.
5. European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Dietary Reference Values for Nutrients – Summary Report.