What Are Healthy Foods For A Teen To Bring For Lunch?

Since your teen eats lunch away from home most days, it can be difficult to ensure that she eats nutritious foods that supply her with the nutrients she needs for the last few years of her growth and development. Packing your teen's lunch is one way to make sure that she is eating some healthy foods. Include your teen in the process so her lunch is filled with foods she actually likes. Keep these nutritional needs in mind when preparing your teen's next lunch.

Foods with Calcium

Yogurt, low-fat cheese, milk, beans, almonds and cottage cheese are all convenient lunch foods that also supply a healthy amount of calcium to your teen. KidsHealth notes that 85 percent of children between the ages of 9 and 18 do not get enough calcium in their diets. Your teen needs 1,300 mg of calcium per day in order to encourage proper bone development and to help build the bone mass that will last the rest of his life. Packing calcium-rich foods at lunch is an important step in ensuring that your teen gets enough of this essential nutrient.

Foods with Iron

Iron is another nutrient that many teens are deficient in, particularly teen girls who lose more iron as they enter puberty and begin menstruation. Sending your teen to school with a lunch that includes a healthy amount of iron is one way to ensure that she gets enough for proper red blood production, as well as sustained levels of energy. Your teen son needs 11 mg of iron per day and your teen daughter needs 15 mg. Pack a tuna sandwich, a hard-boiled egg, dried fruit, a spinach salad or dry breakfast cereal in your teen's lunch to help increase her intake.

Foods with Protein

Protein is a nutrient that enables your teen's body to turn the calories he eats into energy. Eating high-protein foods at lunch is a nutritious way to ensure that your teen has the stamina necessary for an afternoon at school and for any extra-curricular activities he participates in. The American Heart Association recommends sending at least one food rich in protein in your teen's lunch. A lean chicken or turkey sandwich is a nutritious way to boost his protein intake. Cheese, yogurt, nuts and peanut butter are other nutrient-dense foods that will supply the protein your teen needs.

Fruits and Vegetables

Your teen's lunch is not complete without at least one serving of fruits or vegetables, but preferably one of each. Teens need to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day to get the vitamins and minerals they need for their health. A tossed salad is one way to add several types of vegetables at one time. A whole piece of fruit, such as an apple or banana, is a simple way to increase your teen's intake of fruit. Carrot sticks, cucumber rounds or tomato slices are other nutritious additions to your teen's lunch.