If you’re worried about what to pack for school lunch, read this article and learn about the best foods for children to eat. Fruits and vegetables are great options for a healthy lunch. Choose a variety of these to get the right balance of vitamins and nutrients. Also, keep your pantry stocked with healthy staples.
Fruits and vegetables
A healthy school lunch gives a greater chance of focusing, playing, and achieving their full potential. Parents should encourage their children to prepare lunches and talk to them about their choices. They start to make their own lifestyle choices influenced by friends and the latest trend. Therefore, it’s important to incorporate fruits and vegetables into their school lunch.
Fresh fruit is an excellent option because it can easily be packed and keeps well. Kid-friendly options include bananas, mixed berries, sliced apples, and oranges. You can also opt for canned fruit, which you can buy in plastic cups or as a single serving. Most fruit is served in water, but some companies also use the syrup that contains added sugar. Choose the low-sugar varieties for your child.
Lean meats
Packing school lunches for your child doesn’t have to be a chore. Depending on the child’s age, sandwiches can provide 2-4 food groups. Look for whole grain bread with the first ingredient whole grain. Avoid white, enriched, or refined bread. Even unbleached wheat flour isn’t considered a whole grain. Protein sources for sandwiches should be lean meat or low-fat cheese.
Try to limit your child’s intake of dried fruit, which is high in sugar. Send a moist face wipe along if your child is a picky eater. Fruit-based drinks and colorful foods are great additions to the lunch box.
Whole grains
The food industry has recently urged schools to serve more whole grains, enriched grains, and fortified foods. They say that these foods provide the extra nutrients students need and that a variety of grains provides the nutritional benefits students want. However, developing healthy school lunch recipes that incorporate whole grains can be difficult. Some schools have found it difficult to change their menus to accommodate the new standard, and others are changing recipes to include more whole grains.
In 2012, the USDA introduced new school meal standards that improved the nutritional quality of school meals. These changes include the use of whole grains, milk, and sodium. Moreover, the new standards will strengthen the regulations governing the composition of school lunches and provide more choices to menu planners. These new rules align with the latest scientific findings and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. They aim to improve the quality of school meals while making them more affordable.
Juice
The most important thing to remember when packing a lunch for your child is that you don’t want to overwhelm them with too many choices. If you want your child to stay healthy all day, you can cut up fruit and vegetables and keep them in the refrigerator or pantry. Other great options include dried fruit, trail mix, and frozen juice boxes. Also, avoid sugary beverages and use only 100% juice or water for your child’s drink.
Avoid introducing new foods into your child’s diet. School lunchtime is not the time to experiment with fresh foods. Instead, focus on offering them healthy options that they’ll enjoy. Even better, let them choose what they want to have for lunch. They’ll be more likely to eat lunch when they know they’re getting a nutritious snack. If you’re worried about your child’s weight, pack healthy foods that they’ll like.
Prepackaged snacks
The first day of school is upon us, which means you’re busier than ever getting kids ready for the next day of learning. So whether you’re chauffeuring your child to school or picking them up from extracurricular activities, you’re likely to be busy.
When selecting snack food for a child, read the nutrition label carefully. Check the sugar content, too. The lower the sugar content, the better. Most snack bars have five to eight grams of sugar and rely on fruit to provide sweetness. Choose whole grain products if possible. Whole grain products have higher fiber content and less sugar than refined products. They’re also more filling, so you’ll feel better about giving your child a snack.
Variety
Offering more variety in a healthy school lunch is an effective way to increase student consumption of fruits and vegetables. Research shows that students who eat school lunches are more likely to eat more fruits and vegetables than students who do not. Studies show that school lunches can provide up to 30% of a child’s daily consumption of fruits and vegetables. Therefore, increasing variety in a school lunch will improve student consumption of these items and help schools to lower health risks.
It is also important to remember that children tend to get bored with the same old things in their lunchbox, so try introducing variety in their lunches. Switching it up will encourage creativity, as well as improve family bonding. Building a healthy school lunch does not have to be a hassle. Include foods from three different food groups and keep the lunchbox cool and enjoyable for your child.