The secret to creating healthy sandwiches

Mandy Sacher

Child nutrition expert and mother of two, Mandy Sacher, is a Paediatric Nutritionist and SOS Feeding Consultant. Her private practice focuses on prenatal and childhood nutrition, helping parents and mums-to-be feed their children healthy, nourishing foods right from the start. Mandy’s philosophy is simple: train children’s taste buds to enjoy nourishing, nutritionally beneficial foods early as possible to ensure optimal development and establishment of lifelong healthy eating behaviours. After the birth of her first child in 2010, Mandy became increasingly aware of the lack of nutritionally sound information available to first-time parents. She was alarmed at the amount of baby and toddler foods marketed as ‘healthy’ when the sugar, salt and preservative contents were overly high. Mandy realised the journey to junk food can begin with the squeezie yoghurts we are fed or the teething rusks given to us. Mandy’s career in children’s health spans more than a decade – in 2006, she, along with other paediatric experts, founded the MEND Programme, an independent, not-for-profit organisation established to research and prevent obesity in children. Mandy and her colleagues at MEND developed one of the world’s only proven weight-loss treatments for obese children, now based on ten years of research and clinical trials. For the past five years Mandy has consulted to daycares on implementing more nutritious whole food menu plans and also privately to parents with children of all ages. Wholesome Child’s nutritional workshops are held at preschools, mother’s groups, non-profit organisations and medical practices.

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Updated on Jun 14, 2024 · 2 mins read

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The secret to creating healthy sandwiches

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In this article

The secret to creating healthy sandwiches isn’t about specific ingredients but rather the food groups and quantities. By focusing on making a sandwich based on a ratio, it means you can tailor it according to every child’s tastes and dietary needs. In as little as 4 simple steps, you can make many combinations which will suit the taste buds of most children.

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The Secret Formula

2 wholegrain/sourdough bread slices
1 Protein
1 Healthy Fat
2-3 Vegetables

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The Perfect Sandwich

Each of these food groups will play an important role in your little one’s day.

Healthy slow-release wholegrain – to stabilise blood sugar levels
Protein – to help with alertness and endurance
Healthy fats – to increase satiety, stabilise mood and boost concentration levels
Vegetables – which contain fibre, minerals, vitamins and phytonutrients, to ensure a healthy immune system.

Mandy knows that some parents can find it daunting to come up with sandwich options that are healthy, affordable and something your child will enjoy. Most of the time, children’s sandwiches lack the correct amount of protein. A low-protein lunch can have a negative impact on a child’s ability to concentrate and energy levels. Children at school ages are in a key developing stage of their life, so it’s vital that we provide them with all the nutrients they need to grow strong and healthy. This includes proteins, healthy fats, vegetables and grains, which should be part of children’s daily diet.

Mandy share’s with us how to create a healthy, balance classic chicken or cheese sandwich: