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Back to School: Healthy Lunch Ideas for Kids
Healthy lunches can be tasty, too! Credit: Craig Kohlruss, Fresno Bee / MCT
Johnson says you should get kids involved in the lunch-making process early on.
"Make a list of acceptable 'entrees,' 'veggies,' etc.," she says. At least three food groups should make the list and parents should keep any treats to a minimum. Remind your child to eat the entrees and vegetables before any candy or cookie treat.
Keep the healthy lunch list lively by adding new foods as your child learns about them or expresses interest in trying something new. Spend some time reviewing the list of foods together when meals seem to be getting old, boring or not eaten. Try introducing unusual vegetables such as jicama or edamame.
When you talk to your child about nutrition, Johnson suggests using the time to motivate them to make healthy choices.
"My boys really want to be big and strong, and so I relate healthy food to that," says Johnson, a registered dietitian who lectures at Arizona State University.
Also try adding foods that relates to what your child is learning in school. E-mail your child's teacher to see what foods they may be studying. If the class is learning about nutrition or specific foods in class, Johnson says to "make sure the food ends up in the lunchbox."
Knowing how your kids prefer their vegetables can help, as well.
"Some kids like veggies added to wraps, soups and sandwiches, and some kids prefer them plain," Johnson says. Other kids might only eat their vegetables with a heavy dose of ranch dressing. Johnson suggests replacing regular ranch with a low-fat version to cut down on the fat and calories -- and kids probably won't notice the difference.
Parents should include drinks in the planning and list process, ensuring the beverage is also nutritious.
"Stick to either low-fat milk or 100 percent fruit juice," Johnson says.
While choosing the food is important, do not forget to pay attention to food safety. If something needs to be kept cold, add an ice bag or, try this trick Johnson recommends: Freeze a 100 percent fruit box to keep food cold until lunch.
Related: Back to School: Lunch Bags, Keeping Kids Healthy During Back-to-School Season
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
8-30-2010 @ 10:59PM
LadyJane50 said...I am not a parent but my mother always made me and my brothers make our own lunches every evening to have in refrigerator ready for school the following morning; it was usually a sandwich, a fruit and two small cookies (milk was provided at school). There are all kinds of cookbooks for kids. The American Heart Association used to give cookbooks for kids, some other organizations might be doing the same. There are also nutritous snacks kids can make ahead to eat at school such as peanut butter balls. Its 1/2 cup. honey, 1/2 cup peanut butter, 1 cup non instant powdered milk not made into a liquid and unsweetened coconut. Mix together the honey, peanut butter and milk powder. Mold into small balls and roll in coconut. Store in the refrigerator. For variations add any of the folowing: 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, 1/4 cup raisins, 1/4 cup sesame seeds, 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, 1/4 cup chopped pecans or 1/4 cup carob.
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8-30-2010 @ 11:51PM
Squiddypie8 said...Im going to try your recipe LadyJane50 thanks! If you have anymore kids recipes suggestions like that would you please email them to me? I would love that! Squiddypie8@aol.com
8-31-2010 @ 8:22PM
LS said...I used to make those too! Except I *gently* stirred in a cup (?) of Rice Krispies with the peanut butter. It gave them a fun crunch. Also, we rolled them in melted chocolate, but that kind of takes away from the nutritional aspect (although dark chocolate does have health benefits). So maybe do that once out of every three or four times that you make them, as a special treat.
8-30-2010 @ 11:53PM
Squiddypie8 said...Well, no offense to the doctors but ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? All that green in the turkey wrap is enough to turn my 8 year old son green and make him do his phony fainting act that he does when he looks at vegetables. Theres NO WAY my son would voluntarily eat that without supervision breathing down his neck, which they dont tend to have in that sense at schools when kids are eating lunch. My son would forego lunch altogether at school if I sent him packin with veggie kabobs and the like no matter how hungry he is. All it causes is an instant boycott of lunch thats all. They make it look so easy to accomplish on the little film. But I doubt so in the real world. I would like to see a more realistic version of something nobody has tried yet, that actually works. Cuz I think I have tried it all.
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8-31-2010 @ 1:28AM
Andrea said...He may not eat it the first day, but when he comes home starved all you offer him is even more fruits and veggies until dinner. Then the same lunch the next day and the next and so on, he'll finally get hungry enough to eat them and eventually develop a taste (or at least a tolerance) for them. When there are no chips and Twinkies in the house, they have no choice. It's up to you to regulate what foods come into your home. Make candy and potato chips special occasion items. You don't eat a Thanksgiving dinner on a weekly basis, it's reserved for special occasions and so should junk food.
Give your child three options of protein, veggies/fruits and grains or dairy each day. Every night before bed let him/her choose if they want turkey, cucumbers and pretzels or roasted chicken, oranges and cottage cheese or whatever combo. Get your kids involved in the process and emphasize the health benefits of what they're eating. They won't starve themselves for more than a day so don't worry. Even the pickiest 8 year old boy will eventually give in, he may grumble at first but he'll give in.
8-31-2010 @ 4:15PM
KfromTX said...I get so annoyed with people today. Kids should eat what they are given. Period. No arguments, not fights, no fits. My kids range in age from 3-11. Do you know what the eat? Whatever I make. Children who are resistent to veggies and fruit, or other healthy foods, are so because they have not been raised eating them. I guarantee that the majority of children who refuse their veggies, are rarely given them or rarely see their parents eat them. We have a rule in my house, no veggie, no dessert.
You can actually do other things, sneakier things. For instance I make zucchini lasagna with cottage cheese. The kids think its noodles. Also, my kids eat oven baked turkey with fat free cheese and light mayo on wheat bread. My children have NEVER had white bread. We don't do chips, but if we do they are baked. We also do not have lunch without some sort of fruit or veggie on the plate. If you give my kids a choice between having chips for lunch or having grapes, bananas, apples etc. they will choose the latter everytime.
If you are struggling with getting your kids to cooperate and eat what they are supposed to, start small. When it comes to veggies at dinner, we give the my 5 year olds and 3 year old their age in veggies. For instance, if you are 5 you get 5 pieces of broccoli etc. If you don't eat it, you aren't getting dessert. PERIOD. Also, let them pick out the dessert they want. We do sugar free or fat free or something along those lines.
When it comes to soda, my kids do not drink it. It's not even an option. We do skim milk, juice (half water/ half juice), or water.
Kids today for some reason, think they have a choice, and that is where we are going wrong. When they are old enough to voice their concerns with thoughtful dialogue then I will listen. By that time, they will have already developed healthy eating habbits. As parents it is our responsibility to make sure our kids are healthy. An occasional candy, or piece of pizza or a burger, isn't a bad thing (as long as food is not used as a reward). When making snack and goody decisions, choose healthy tasty options. There are so many products out there now, that there should be no reason to
pump your kids full of sugar and crap. NONE.
The other day my mom was telling me a story where she was going to allow my oldest son to have a soda for lunch. She was stunned when he turned her down and chose milk. My mom asked him why he didn't want a soda, she thought it was kind of funny, and he said, "It has sugar and caffeine." That was the end of the discussion.
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8-31-2010 @ 12:27PM
Janice said...We also need to teach kids to make the right choices with nutrition classes in the schools. Nobody wants to see a return to the gender-stereotyped home economics classrooms and curriculum, or the tuna casseroles, but how about some basic principles and pragmatic instruction that would transform daunting chores into manageable and rewarding pursuits?
Home Economics Class: It’s Not Like You Remember from gigabiting blog
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8-31-2010 @ 3:32PM
cucee sprouts said...What a great article. Here are some other ideas for healthy back to school snacks and lunches cuceesprouts.com/2010/08/healthy-back-to-school-snacks-and-lunches/
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9-01-2010 @ 6:42PM
Heather said...These people who say " you will eat it or starve" have yet to meet my son. We tried that. He didn't eat for almost 3 days. My son would not eat the veggies even if it was the only thing offered for days. I was watching a show on tlc/ discovery and yes a child would starve themselves if it is food they are unfamilier with or do not like. He does not get pop, he sometimes drinks juice, mostly it is milk or water. He loves whole grains ( his favorite is buckwheat pancakes) but veggies? forget it. I have tried sneaking them in spagetti sauce, and then he stoped eating tomato sauce because now he doesn't trust that there are not the yucky veggies in it. all sneaky chef has done is made him even more picky.
Then people suggest giving PB&J , isn't that banned in most areas? Our school doesn't allow peanuts, nuts of any kind and high allergy foods. Makes packing lunch real hard.
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