Make Your
School Lunch Creative and Filled with Nutrients
What do you typically pack for lunch? Do you find yourself
packing the same lunch every single day or bored with your lunch options and
need to change it up? There are many different ways to add fun foods to your
brown paper bag to add variety and
plenty of nutrients to enjoy during the day. It is important to pack foods that are healthy and will give
you energy. Find recipes and other
healthy eating tips at http://www.eatright.org/kids/
to give you more ideas for packing lunches. Here a few simple steps and ideas
in order to pack a tasteful and nutritious lunch:
·
Let your child help you pack his/her lunch. This will
introduce them to foods that are healthy and they will enjoy their lunch the
next day knowing that they helped to prepare
it.
·
Find a reusable and fun colored Tupperware container to
use that your kids will enjoy, as well as, eliminating the use of plastic sandwich
bags
·
Packing
your kids lunch will allow for them to have more time to actually eat
during lunch time. Most kids have around 20 minutes to eat lunch, so provide
them with easy to eat and easy to open packages to save time.
·
Fill their lunch box with small foods that are easy for
the kids to handle as well as fun to eat.
For instance, pack the ingredients for a sandwich and let the child put
together his/her own sandwich to add some fun to lunch time.
·
Finish up by packing something fun: a sticker, small
note, small cookie wrapped in plastic with a ribbon, fruit on a stick, dessert
cut into a playful shape.
·
Do not forget the drink to top off the meal. Send water,
low-fat milk to add some calcium or 100% fruit juice. Avoid the sweetened
beverages that contain excess sugar as well as any soda. According to
Registered Dietitians, Mary Mullin and Jo Ellen Shield, sweet soft drinks provide essentially no key nutrients and are sweetened with
either sugar or high-fructose corn syrup. Excess sugar has been thought to be a
link to the rising obesity rates, however there is no scientific evidence to
prove this at this time. The
following article further discusses choosing appropriate beverages for
children. http://www.eatright.org/kids/article.aspx?id=6442468566&term=%20beverages
·
Lunch box ideas:
o
Turkey sandwich cut into squares, baby carrots, peel
and grapes
o
Peanut butter and jelly tortilla wraps, peach, homemade
snack mix (dried fruits, unsalted nuts and pretzels, baked crackers)
o
Turkey wrap or sandwich cut up into pieces, small
handful goldfish, small handful pretzels, raisins, strawberries
o
Grilled chicken strips, 5 whole-grain crackers, 3
slices cheese, mixed fruit (grapes and peaches), small salad with tomatoes
o
Pasta salad with vegetables, apple, salad
o
6 small sushi bites, strawberries, snack peas
o
Meat and cheese slices, pasta mixed with pesto, crunchy
vegetable sticks, mixed fruit
