PETALING JAYA, Jan 7 — For some parents, gone are the days of just putting two slices of bread together with a butter and jam filling.
Nowadays, there is the bento box idea where parents take pains to prepare a hearty and healthy meal for their children.
Food artist Lee Samantha takes pains to help parents design food so that ingredients like the dreaded vegetables are more attractive to eat.
“Packing foods for school is a fun and meaningful way for parents to strengthen the bond with their children and educate them about food and nutrition,” she said when met recently at the Milo Bento Box Workshop at 1 Utama shopping mall.
There was also a bento box competition, which gave parents and their children 60 minute to get creative with their bento box.
“As a mother myself, styling food is about making wholesome, balanced meals fun for my two girls to enjoy — not to mention, an excellent way to reduce food waste as I believe in using as many parts as possible in my decorations,” said Lee.
She presented two breakfast meals, one in a shape of a bird and another in the form of an octopus.
Both had enough carbohydrates and proteins, tomatoes, broccoli and fruits.
Together with Lee was Georgen Cooking founder Georgen Thye who also gave tips on packing a healthier breakfast for children besides emphasising the importance of breakfast for young ones.
“The importance of breakfast cannot be overstated. One of three school children has lower levels of physical activity when they skip breakfast,” said Thye.
“To help children stay focused and pay attention to classroom lessons and extracurricular activities, it is important that parents provide a balanced and healthy breakfast.”
He added that a home-packed meal would further guarantee that a child gets a proper breakfast.
“It helps children fill the energy gap, especially one that is made up of nutrient-dense foods like whole grains, vegetables and fruits, lean meat, legumes, nuts and seeds.”
Milo consumer marketing manager Angeline Lim said it was on a mission to help parents ensure that their children receive proper nutrition that not only benefited their mental and physical developments but also met their daily energy needs.
