For parents the start of a new school year means juggling work with your children’s school, homework and after school activities once again. Though mornings may be hectic, use these tips to make sure you don’t forget to provide your children with healthy lunches.
- Switch from white bread to whole grain. If your children’s lunches include sandwiches, this is one of the easiest ways to increase the nutrients they receive. Fiber, vitamins B6 and E, magnesium, zinc, folic acid and chromium percentages are much higher in brown breads then in the refined white bread.
- Choose lean meats. Pick lunch meats like chicken, turkey, lean ham and tuna for sandwiches. These meats are healthy choices packed with protein.
- Pack a rainbow of color. Fruits and vegetables from green to orange and everything in between are a great source of nutrition for kids. Because many children aren’t very fond of some fruits and vegetables, try to make them more interesting. Pack different colored fruit together. Include dipping sauces like yogurt or fat free veggie dip.
- Quench their thirst with water. Though juices may be made from fruits and even some vegetables, think about sending water with your children’s lunches. Juice adds unnecessary sugar, especially when it is used daily for multiple meals. Choosing water will eliminate this extra sugar while keeping your children hydrated throughout the day. If you do send juices with your children, choose those that are made of 100 percent juice or blends of 100 percent juice instead of juice drinks.
- Limit snack foods and baked treats. Cookies, cakes and chips may seem like a quick and easy addition to your children’s lunchboxes, but they are high in sugar, saturated fat and salt. Healthier choices include unbuttered or low buttered popcorn, pretzels or crackers.
- Offer variety. Show your kids eating healthy doesn’t always have to be a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat bread with pretzels and an apple. Make turkey or chicken wraps with lettuce, tomato and a fat free dressing. Carrots or sweet pepper slices can add crunch and color. Finish the meal off with yogurt, granola and strawberries for a homemade parfait. If possible, use a meal calendar to plan out lunches for the whole month ahead of time. This will allow you to offer enough variety without having to rack your brain each morning. Make lunches the night before and store them in the fridge to make the mornings less hectic.
- Give your children options. If you want your children to eat healthier, allow them to have some say in what they do eat. While shopping for lunch items, ask your children which fruits and vegetables they like best. Do the same for sandwich choices and sides. When you are making the lunches (or planning them out) narrow down the options. Choose two items from what you bought and give your children an ‘either or’ option. Instead of feeling like they were forced to eat healthy choices they don’t like, your children will feel like they chose what their lunches include and will be happier about eating healthy.
- Include a treat. Children love sugary sweet foods. No matter what you pack in their lunches, they will always try to include some sort of cookies or cake. In moderation, everything is okay. Instead of including a baggie with five cookies, give your children two. Or include homemade baked goods. Since you made the sweets, you control what is in it. Homemade cakes and cookies don’t include the unpronounceable additives processed sugary foods do. Let your children help make the foods. They will feel accomplished when they open their lunch box and find a piece of banana bread, two chocolate chip cookies or one Rice Krispies treat they helped to make.
