Healthy School Lunches | healthtastesgood.com

Creating a fun lunch for your child will make it more appealing. Let your creative juices flow!

When considering what to give your child to eat for lunch, coming up with healthy school lunch ideas is essential. Eating a variety of healthy foods gives your child the energy he or she needs to learn in school all day as wel as to develop and maintain good health. Plus, it is important for children to eat health in order to keep their immune systems strong in order to prevent them from getting sick. They are exposed to so much each day from the other children they come in contact with. Many schools have also added Purell dispensers around the buildings in order for children to clean their hands throughout the day as an added precaution to kill the germs that make them sick.

Think about your child’s school lunch as fuel to put into their tanks. Choosing the wrong type of fuel could run them out of energy before the day is over. For a healthy school lunch for your kids, you need to take into account some considerations. The first step in this process is to bring your child to the grocery store with you. The second step is to involve them in choosing their lunch. You may be surprised by your child’s choices. Do not stress if your kid likes to eat carrots each day, and says no to consuming other vegetables. At least it is a vegetable and eventually, if other vegetables are available, your child will most likely try something else.

Many schools across the country are even jumping onto the health bandwagon and offering healthier choices for lunch while doing away with the sugary sodas and treats that were once readily available. Our local high school due to new government regulations has adopted adding more vegetables with each lunch and eliminating more of the junk foods that they were selling. These are important measures for the health of our children. With childhood obesity leading to diabetes and other diseases that are striking children earlier and earlier because of poor dietary choices on the rise, we cannot do enough to help our children develop healthy eating habits that will follow them into adulthood.

How can you ensure your child is eating a healthy school meal? Pay attention! A healthy meal for your child consists of a fruit, a lean protein, and a vegetable along with a nutritious drink. Here are some great healthy school lunch ideas:

Lean protein:

tuna fish
natural peanut butter (without added sugar or hydrogenated oils) or other nut butter (some schools have rules against peanut butter because of allergies – check with your school)
lean chicken
lean turkey

Fruits:

Melon (watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew) are high in potassium and vitamin C. They are crunchy treats that are easy to prepare and include in a lunchbox.
A lunch box with fruit packed with additional attention to the presentation makes it more appealing to children. Think of various fruit colors such as orange, berries, apple slices, or kiwi fruit. And viola! You will have a mouth-watering fruit bowl that is loaded with important nutrients such as fiber and vitamins.

Vegetables:

cucumber slices
carrots and celery
squash slices
slices of broccoli or cauliflower plus a healthy dip

Drinks:

veggie smoothie
green tea smoothie
100% fruit juice
fruit smoothie made with soy or nut milk
soy or almond milk – there are even chocolate varieties that children love!

It takes a real balancing act for a bagged lunch to become a full nutrient package. Recent studies show that children who consume healthy school meals have higher intakes of nutrients – at lunch and during the course of a full day. This is good news, because when children are better nourished, they do better in school. If you are still unsure or your child has food sensitivities or allergies check with a nutritionist for options that will work for your child. It is that important!

From children to parents to teachers, all will benefit with a nutritious school lunch.

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