GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Packing a school lunch is an opportunity to create healthier habits and provide nourishing foods, and meals made in your kitchen put you and your family in control. Your homemade packed lunch can help kids to learn to enjoy new foods. Beyond that, studies show that establishing healthy eating habits in these early years can impact food choices later in life. That’s why nutritious lunches are key! Mercy Health Registered Dietitian Amy Bragagnini shares some tips for packing a healthier school lunch, as well as some inspiring recipes to get your school year off to the right start.
Pack Plenty of Produce
This may sound obvious, but according to science on the subject, it’s where parents often slip up. Fruit is always an easy pick, but also try to include at least two veggies in each lunch. This ups your chances that your child will choose at least one. Veggies provide the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and protective plant compounds that growing bodies demand. (While juice may be 100 percent fruit, the goal is to try to encourage whole forms of produce since few kids are missing the mark on juice.)
Since children love to play with their food, try cutting up fruits and veggies into dipping strips and invite them to try different dips, from sunflower seed or nut butter to ranch dressing, hummus, guacamole or yogurt. If time and resources get the best of you, fruit canned in juice and dried fruit are easy options.
Skip the Processed Snacks
Over time, inclusion of highly processed foods (cookies, potato chips, candy) can lead to weight gain, which can have serious health implications as your child grows up. Instead of packing a daily treat, consider packing a snack every so often (say, once a week) or pack healthy, whole grain snacks, like air-popped popcorn more frequently. You can also use non-food party favors to add more flair to lunch boxes: stickers, note cards with a joke or a loving message, and colorful or character-driven pencils and other school supplies are some to try.
Embrace Whole Grains
If you’re not packing whole grains for your child, you’re missing an important opportunity to provide fiber, magnesium and other notable nutrients. But admittedly, some kids feel that whole grains are “healthy” and because of that they will not eat them. I recommend starting with a 50/50 approach for pasta and rice. This works for sandwiches, too, with one side being white bread and the other being whole wheat. If these foods are new to your child, layer them with things he or she already loves. Say your child loves pasta with Parmesan. Swap in whole grain pasta for your ordinary noodles but keep the sauce the same. Remember, your goal is to reach 100% whole grain foods before too long.
Talk Nutrition!
Whenever you are preparing or cooking with your children, talk about the nutrition of foods. You may not think they are interested, but they love hearing the relation between food and how it is affecting their bodies. Inform your kids about which foods provide good sources of energy and discuss foods that may help them sleep better. Examples include preparing a fruit salad while teaching them about vitamin C and how it may help prevent the common cold. Chat about their bones getting stronger from the string cheese snack (calcium), etc.
Be Consistent and Stay Strong
It’s quite possible that your child may not always love everything in his or her lunch, but don’t let that stop you. Consistently serving up nutritious fare is the best way to ensure their good health over time. In addition, keeping their bodies healthy benefits their wellbeing in many ways. Eating well and taking care of growing bodies can lead to improvements in school and on the field, help children grow optimally, boost body confidence and reduce acne — all meaningful to school-aged kids. It may be hard to resist your child’s charm as he or she clamors for cookies, chips, sugary sips and fluffy white bread, but introducing kids to better options when they’re young and impressionable can have a life-long impact. Remember that it could take several attempts to get your child to try something new. Maybe make a game of it. Have some lunch box fun and combine learning with Alphabet lunch boxes that feature nutritious and yummy foods from A to Z. Start Monday with a lunch box packed with favorites that begin with letters A through E. Continue throughout the week concluding with V through Z on Friday.
Information courtesy of Amy Bragagnini, R.D.
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