Now that some of our children are getting back to school, parents know: a student who eats a healthy lunch will probably perform better than one who doesn’t. Let’s dive in!
Studying can be quite hard, especially on an empty stomach. But what about a poor diet? Well, usually, when your brain is thinking a lot, or you’re taking part in other activities like sports, much energy is used. An inadequate diet can make things even worse. That aside, kids are just different; some would want to participate in everything while others want to do nothing; some are great in making friends while others prefer to stay alone, and so on. All these different individuals would have different preferences. That’s a reason to surf My Kitchen Advisor to find out some interesting recipes for your child.
Healthy Lunch: Children’s Preferences
A human has personal taste and preference regarding almost everything. Food is not an exception! As much as a parent might havе good lunch ideas for kids, the child has to agree with what is being packed. After all, who will be emptying the lunch box? It is good to learn what the favorites are for your child so that they will be happy to eat up during their break. This way, you’ll save yourself the worry of having almost full containers back home – which boosts spending, by the way.
Flexibility of Meals
Since we’re learning, do you remember the saying, ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy?’ Why are we mentioning that in the first place? Ideally, in the case of healthy food for kids lunch – having one consistent meal each day will eventually become a boring routine. People opt for a basic sandwich (slices of bread and sliced ham and some veggies inside) because it is an easy lunch for kids. However, eating this every single day isn’t proper. There should be a structured timetable with various meals for each day. Moreover, you can also try to add some treats as rewards if your kid did something good back at home.
Food Groups
Every meal counts in the overall body needs, and lunch shouldn’t be ignored. You have to learn how to make a healthy lunch for your child. You’ll be in a better position to do so if you know all the food groups that make up the food tree. These divisions include:
- Proteins (bodybuilding foods) – there are both animal and plant sources of protein. Plant proteins are beans, green peas, tofu, lentils, and spirulina. Animal proteins are dairy products (milk, yogurt, and cheese), meat (beef), and poultry (chicken and eggs).
- Fruits – there is a wide range of choices: melon, grapes, apples, oranges, kiwi, bananas, mangoes.
- Carbs – the energy-giving elements: bread, cakes, pasta, rice, etc.
- Veggies – sources of vitamins and minerals: kales, spinach, carrots, tomatoes, lettuce.
Do’s
There are several rules to ensure you get that healthy food for kids’ lunch. We’ll take a look at those that revolve around the meal and also the external factors:
- Stay away from processed food. It is known to cause inflammation, and a sick child during school days isn’t something any parent would want.
- Avoid additives. When you want to incorporate something, e.g., extra spices or sauces in your meal, ensure your kid is comfortable with it and has tried it before.
- Consider allergies. Everyone can be sensitive to a particular spice or food, and that is something you should take into account when packing kids’ lunch.
- Consult your doctor before issuing supplements to your baby. This is to prevent any side effects.
- All healthy lunch ideas for kids should contain the necessary nutrients.
Don’ts
There are several restrictions you should avoid if you want to ace all your easy healthy lunch ideas for kids:
- Don’t overpack. You can substitute the big amounts of foods with a few portions of various nutritional snacks.
- Avoid doing the packing for them. Slowly begin with involving children in arranging their lunchboxes, and eventually, they’ll be doing it themselves.
- Forget to consider sogginess. Always test whether the lunchbox leaks or not and remember to separate the dry and wet foods.
- Include unfamiliar foods. Foods that kids haven’t tried before should be given after school hours to be able to monitor the reaction.
- Ignore veggies. Ask about their preferences and start including them gradually.
Quality of the Packaging Tool
Before buying any appliances for packing lunch for your kids, some considerations should be made for purposes of acquiring the highest quality available:
- The material should be non-toxic, e.g., stainless steel
- Should not be leaking
- Should be safe for a dishwasher
- Should be durable and breakage-resistant
- Should store food at the required temperatures either hot or cold
- Should make packing easy.
It’s not a good idea to wake up and search for healthy lunch recipes on the Internet just to get the work done. Whatever your child takes for lunch should be comfortable with him/her. If at all a recipe is to be made, the notes should be written as teamwork. This way, it’ll be easier to understand the preferences and know what to get from the stores also. Moreover, you’ll be able to educate your kid on health issues as you talk.
Conclusion
It is crucial to consider what your little one has for lunch and anything else to do with school. This will make things easier on your end. What do your kids eat for lunch? Do you pack for them? What are their preferences? Leave us a comment.
About the Author:
Betti Wilson is a principal and a nutritionist by profession. She allows her kids to pack lunch for themselves — on her watch. She encourages parents during meetings to let their children play their part and become responsible as well.
