Natural Kids

 

Healthy School Lunches:

How to make your child’s middle of the day meal flavorful, fun and less fattening.

 

Getting children to eat healthfully is a snap when you set a good example at home, consistency is key. The percentage of kids who are obese in the U.S. has doubled since 1980 and an estimated 16 percent of adolescents between the ages of 6 and 19 is overweight, according to the Centers for Disease Control. What’s the big deal, you say? It’s just baby fat and will disappear without a problem, right? Wrong: Kids who pack on pounds when they’re young face an increased risk of serious health problems as adults, such as type 2-diabetes, high blood pressure and even heart disease.

 

The good news is that unlike some other childhood diseases, obesity and the health problems it produces are almost entirely preventable. The first step is to establish healthy eating habits for your entire family. The tricky part, though, is making sure those healthy habits stick when youngsters aren’t at home— particularly when they’re confronted with so many unhealthy choices in their school’s cafeteria. In my opinion, the best way to teach your kids how to avoid unhealthy temptations at school is to pack their lunches with foods that are both nutritious and delicious. Cover both of these bases and kids are less likely to make a run for the snack machines or make the ever popular lunch trade.

 

Lean protein and complex carbohydrates provide energy as kids run around on the playground, focus in the classroom or participate in after school sports; whole grains, organically-grown fruits and vegetables are packed with fiber, and cheese and yogurt offer calcium to help build strong bones.

 

Try aiming for a colorful lunch that’s loaded with variety. This ensures your kids are getting a balanced diet and also exposes them to a whole host of foods at once. And give kids choices when possible, letting them pick from different fruits or vegetables or yogurt flavors, because involving them in the process keeps their interest and lets them feel like they have some control. Here’s a tasty trick that is wholesome and kid proven: Core and slice an organic apple into quarter sized wedges and douse them with the juice of half an orange. The citric acid in the juice ensures that the slices won’t turn brown, with the added bonus of a fresh juicy flavor. Be sure to pack in a leak proof reusable plastic container.

Hold their interest by encouraging them to design their lunch containers with their favorite cartoon stickers or by drawing directly onto the container with a permanent wax pen. Who knows, your little darling may become the next Alice Waters, and she’ll have her brilliant parents to thank for it!