Lunch is an important part of the day for kids. It energizes them for their afternoon, and provides essential nutrients to help meet their needs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, parents can enhance their children's health by packing them nutritious lunches for school. A good diet for kids can build healthy habits for life.
Healthy
Kids should eat healthy lunches to build a foundation of good nutrition. Instead of focusing on calories or weight loss, a diet for kids should emphasize healthy choices. According to the CDC, a balanced diet can provide a variety of nutrients. A lunch for kids might include a sandwich with whole grains and a protein source, a container of yogurt for calcium, baby carrots as a vegetable and an apple for their fruit.
Participatory
A diet for kids should involve them in preparing their own food. Appropriate foods are simple. Kids can participate in making their own lunches if the foods are easy to prepare. This gives them a feeling of responsibility and pride in what they eat. It provides a learning opportunity in which you can teach your kids about cooking and healthy foods. If you and your kids pack a lunch together, you also get to spend quality time with them.
Fun
A diet for kids should be fun so that kids will eat their lunches. Taste is an essential characteristic, and chances that you already know what your kids like to eat. Colors also help to make lunch fun. You can include red grape tomatoes, a yellow banana or a green apple. Kids tend to like finger foods, especially crunchy ones. Some healthy fun choices are grapes, whole grain breakfast cereals and pretzels. For a sweet treat, you can pack pudding that has calcium in it.
Safe
Food safety is critical, especially for kids who may be particularly susceptible to foodborne illnesses. KidsHealth from Nemours recommends washing lunchboxes daily, or using disposable lunch sacks. Always have your kids wash their hands before handling foods. Be sure to use packaged foods before their expiration date, and to wash fresh fruits and vegetables before putting them in your kids' lunches. If you are including foods that need to be cold, including meat or yogurt, use an insulated lunch sack with a cold pack.
Portions
A good diet for kids should allow for different serving sizes. Children need smaller servings than adults, and so what they eat for lunch should be in appropriate portion sizes. To develop good habits for later in life, children should also learn to choose their portions. You can send foods that kids eat in parts. For example, you might give your child a peeled orange or a bag of whole wheat crackers so that kids can eat exactly as many orange segments or crackers as they want at any one time.
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