The Facts
A crash course on healthy school lunches School years are when children start to make independent choices about their lifestyles. So it’s the perfect time to talk about and encourage healthy food habits. Involve your children in planning and preparing their own lunchboxes. The more they’re included in the decision process, the more likely they’ll develop healthy eating habits. It’s a good idea to prepare lunchboxes the evening before to allow children to participate. Here are some tips to help get your kids involved: Talk to your children about what they would like to have in their lunchbox. Discuss healthier food and drink choices and decide together what will be in the lunchbox.
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Write a shopping list together. Take your children shopping with you, and let them choose foods and drinks from the shopping list.
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Encourage your children to help prepare their own lunchboxes. Older children may be able to prepare their lunch themselves, and younger children can help with making sandwiches or cutting up soft fruit.
A healthy lunchbox should include:
Fresh, crunchy vegetables
A lean meat or meat alternative food, like chicken strips, hard-boiled egg or peanut butter (unless your school has a nut-free policy).
A grain or cereal food like bread, a roll, flat bread or crackers.
Fresh fruit Water
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Shawnee Mission Health | Fall 2016
A dairy product like milk, yogurt or cheese. For children who cannot tolerate milk products, offer appropriate alternatives.
From Julie Brown, MD, pediatrician with Shawnee Mission Health