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What to pack in a Healthy School Lunch
Note: Have a good lunchbox (avoid vinyl unless it is marked lead free) or one of the new thermal bags that keeps food hot or cold.
- Sandwiches- on nutritious whole grain bread:
Tuna salad
Turkey oven-roasted (or other nitrite-free packaged or deli turkey)
- Almond or other nut butter with a natural fruit jam or sliced banana or peach
- Apple or other fruit or vegetable slices in a small sealed container
- Raisins ( organic and sulfite-free)
- Pack an antipasto with sliced organic turkey, cubes of cheese, a favorite dip, crackers and grapes.
- Fill a wide mouth thermos with warmed black beans and rice. Bring along tortilla chips and a small container of salsa. Add a pineapple fruit cup for dessert.
- Leftovers from last night's dinner (baked chicken, burritos or enchiladas, pasta with cheese and vegetables, etc.)
- Almonds and other nuts or seeds in a small container
- Before the game meal on the run: Bagel with goat cheese, applesauce cup and baby carrots
- Juice and water mixture, or just water in a small thermos, or a chilled plastic bottle of water to keep lunch cool
Ten ways to Encourage Children's Healthy Eating Habits
- Set a good example by eating a healthy diet yourself.
- Provide a balanced diet with a variety of tasty and nutritious food.
- Avoid using food as a reward and encourage healthy snacks
- Have healthy snack available, and offer them to your children at appropriate times, such us mid-morning when they are home and in the afternoon after school
- Get kids involved in shopping and cooking
- Help children grow fresh food in a garden or planter box
- Organize your refrigerator and cupboards so that kids can get the right stuff for themselves
- Avoid the riskiest food additives- artificial colors, aspartame, BHT, MSG, caffeine, excess sugar, etc.
- Look out for allergies and adverse food reactions.
- Ask your health practitioner about a quality children's multi-vitamin-mineral(without additives and artificial colorings), as well as a little extra vitamin C, calcium, or any appropriate children's supplement
For future information on recipes and educational shopping tours and health counseling, come see the Healthy Chef at Village Health!
"Change your life,
Dish by dish!"
Marianna Beres - Healthy Chef and Holistic Health Counselor
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