Although your child may enjoy highly processed foods such as deli-meat boxed meals or fruit chews for lunch, you may be surprised how easily she'll adapt to enjoying healthy foods in her lunch. Packing healthy school lunches benefits a child's overall nutritional status, can help her manage her weight as she matures, and teaches her to establish healthy food habits.
Importance
As noted in January 2011 by MedlinePlus, with over one-third of American children suffering with obesity, controlling what your child eats while at school can impact how many calories he consumes and the nutritional content. School meal guidelines, as proposed in 2010, attempt to address the nutrition of school meals by reducing sodium by 50 percent over the next 10 years, eliminating trans fats and controlling the calories in individual meals. Because your child is in school now, packing his lunch most days of the week ensures his sodium consumption is not excessive, and he is eating adequate amounts of whole-grains, vegetables, fruits and low-fat dairy and proteins.
Plan, Organize and Involve
Plan and shop ahead of time to have the ingredients and proper-sized containers for your child's healthy school lunch. Write down the lunch menus and needed ingredients for each day your child will bring her lunch. It can be challenging to find containers appropriate for fragile grapes or whole-grain crackers. Having an adequate supply on hand will make assembling her lunch each morning simple and quick. Vary the types of food you send with her to avoid boredom. Involve your child in the planning and organization process in a way appropriate to her age and ability. If she takes ownership of her lunch planning, she may be more likely to eat the food you send.
Dietary Requirements
Both boys and girls between 4- and 8-years-old need at least 1,200 calories per day. As your children grow, your daughter needs between 1,400 and 2,400 calories and your son between 1,600 to 3,200, depending on your child's activity level. Plan on his lunch calories taking up about one-third of his calorie requirement for the day. If your child's caloric requirement is 2,000 calories per day, pack 1/2 cup or fruits and vegetables to meet his daily requirements. A sandwich on whole-grain bread with nitrate-free luncheon meat gives him 2 ounces of both his protein and whole-grain requirement. Pack yogurt or cheese for a portion of his 3-cup dairy requirement, and send along a few nuts and dark chocolate pieces as a snack.
Healthy Ideas
You can add interest and nutrition to standard peanut butter sandwiches by varying the type of fruit spread, adding sliced bananas or apples, or sprinkling the peanut butter with dried cranberries or raisins. Use whole-grain or spinach wraps filled with lean turkey, shredded carrots and lettuce. Stuff pitas with vegetables, and include an olive oil dressing in a separate container. Send hot bean or chicken soup in an insulated thermos, plain yogurt with granola or dried fruit mixed in and whole or cut-up fruits. Cut whole-grain breads with cookie cutters and sandwich together with small amounts of cheddar cheese inside.
References
- National Institutes of Health: U.S. Aims to Make School Lunches Healthier
- University of Missouri Extension: Brown Bag School Lunches; Debra Buffum, RD
- United States Department of Agriculture: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010
- University of Maryland Extension: Healthy Packed Lunches; Eileen Morgan; September 2010
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