Buying lunch at school can sometimes be the first time that kids get to call the shots on which foods they will choose to eat. While school lunches have improved over the years, some still exceed recommendations for fat, and kids can still choose an unhealthy mix of foods day after day.
Lunch can be a great opportunity for you as parents to steer your kids toward good choices by emphasizing how a nutritious meal at lunch will give them enough energy to finish school and participate in fun after-school activities. Simple changes like whole wheat bread instead of white bread and low fat yogurt or pudding instead of a Little Debbie cupcake can make all the difference in providing kids long-lasting energy versus sugar spikes and crashes.
Help your kids make the right choices by looking over the cafeteria menu together and recommending the healthier options – or have them pack a lunch occasionally. One tip to encourage kids to want to pack a lunch is to bring them to the store with you to help pick out the healthy foods they’d like you to include in their lunch every day. That opportunity allows them to understand how to pick out healthy options from an early age and get excited about making those yummy, more nutritious choices.
In the video below Valley Health’s Director of Nutrition Therapy, Susan Lessar, walks us through some healthy lunch options for your kids.
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