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Healthy School Lunches

By HERWriter Guide
 
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Last week I watched my children graduate from whatever class they were in. Right? Wait, it was three months ago and now I have one week to get all three little chirruns back-to-school ready. I'm sure many of EmpowHER members and readers are feeling the same way!

This year my oldest (a proud first grader) will stay in school for lunch. When he was not a full-day student last year I checked his school cafeteria menu (what the heck, I thought) and Monday through Friday was a collection of fried and processed foods (pizza, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, grilled cheese and cheeseburgers are the five main lunches that cover the weekly menu). What amazed me was that this list was set forth by a legitimate nutritionist! Were they serious?

This year they have the same rubbish for sale but also on the menu is a choice from well-known chef Jamie Oliver who is trying to bring some nutrition to school lunches. His choices are a lot better. There will also be a fresh fruit and vegetable salad bar open daily. Only 100 percent juices will be served. It’s not perfect and there is no specific daily vegetarian option (many meat eating kids, as well as vegetarian kids love the veggie option) but it’s a heck of a lot better than before.

Still, my son will brown bag it for lunch – his choice as well as mine. No one makes a lunch like Mom! But lunches from home aren’t exactly healthy either, if pre-prepared packages are thrown in a backpack to sustain our kids through the day. Almost all are processed. Processed meat and cheese, with salty crackers added in order to make a sandwich. The overall salt content is very high, the fat isn’t "good fat" and the calories are high too. Lacking in fiber and anything fresh, these are the kinds of lunches that drain our kids by early afternoon. There are better options out there that are far more nutritious, fresh, and in the end, cheaper. We have to spend a little time preparing them but sometimes good things take an extra minute or two!

Some ideas that work well for the lunch box are some of the simplest. Fresh or dried fruits, cut veggies and a little light dressing on the side. A mix of almonds and walnuts. Raisins, unprocessed cheese cubes or string cheese and simple whole grain sandwiches made of lean protein laden lean meats that are unprocessed (think leftovers from Sunday dinners! )or a vegetarian substitute like soy or tofu are great choices. PB& J on 100 percent whole grain bread is a good idea (go easy on the amount of PB& J used, kids are fine with a thinner layer of each.) Organic yogurts bought in bulk are a good value and do not contain high fructose corn syrup, and some are gelatin free. Carrot and celery sticks with a little peanut butter on top, whole grain crackers and home-made stews and cottage pies are also favorites (as long as there are adults to work the microwaves). Another kid favorite is coring fruit like an apple and filling the center with a good cheese or other fruit like blueberries, pomegranates, grapes or diced mango.

For schools that are nut free – Sun butter is a good substitute.

Like adults – kids also appreciate a nice presentation. Make sandwiches into fun shapes using cookie cutters! Make them spooky for Hallowe’en, pumpkin-like around Thanksgiving and who doesn’t want to eat a real, homemade, deliciously flavored brown rice cake (okay, I get that most kids would be giving me the side eye at that one, including my own) or delicious sandwich that looks like a Christmas tree or Hanukkah star? A few light cream cheese crackers with tomato eyes and cucumber smiles will make you kid want to gobble it up! Making healthy foods fun is a great way to make kids love to eat those healthy foods!

And drinks? Nothing wrong with plain old water or milk! When kids are eating plenty of fruits and veggies, there’s no need to add more to their diet, as the sugar rush might upset their tummies and their afternoons. However, on days with less or no fruit (hey, we’re not perfect) then a 100 percent real fruit and veggie smoothie or homemade juice will definitely do the trick.

Let’s not kid ourselves – there will be days where a quick sandwich and cheese crackers will turn up in our kids’ lunch boxes. In the busy world we live in today, it’s going to happen and really – our kids won’t die from it!

But if we bulk freeze stews and other meals, adding a lean protein to the lunch box, pre-wash and slice lots of fruits and veggies for the week, as well as making sure we have a high fiber whole grain on tap, we can really do this on a regular basis. Our kids (and our wallets, believe it or not) will thank us.

The list of healthy foods and fun presentation ideas for kids is endless! Do you have more ideas to add to this list?

Add a Comment2 Comments

Thanks for the good ideas! Some things that I include in my sons' lunches are pretzels and hummus, applesauce, muffins (when I have time to make them), and my kids also ask for "lunchables" but I make my own. I cut up different kinds of cheeses, deli meats and a variety of crackers. It is fun for them when they are tired of sandwiches. (I also use cookie cutters for fun shapes.) Still, not ideal but at least I feel better about sending that then the packaged ones!

August 31, 2010 - 9:58pm

Great reminder, Susan!
It is too easy to grab for a package of cheese flavored crackers, or a granola bar (which don't sound so bad, but still...processed). It would be great to have a cheat sheet of sample menus for easy reference when standing in front of the fridge or pantry wondering what to put in the lunch box. I'm going to post this to the parenting group!

August 31, 2010 - 10:24am
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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.

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