Note: This week we're focusing on back to school with food safety and nutrition advice for parents and kids. Check back all week for a different topic each day.
By: Elizabeth Rahavi, RD Date: 8/10/10
My colleague Tony Flood, Director of Food Safety and Defense, is often heard around the office saying that “Food has to be safe before it can be nutritious.” So, before we get into talking about how to pack a school lunch that can be balanced and nutritious for you little one(s) check out our blog post from yesterday, A Lunchbox Full of Food Safety.
The Mid-Day Meal
It didn’t matter if it was a hot lunch from the school cafeteria or a brown bag special made by my mom, when I was in school I loved lunch. I recall distinctly the day that my elementary school in Texas started serving up salads from a brown plastic rectangular cart that could be easily moved from the kitchen to the lunch room for cleaning, preparation and service. All of the kids gathered together and petitioned to have a salad bar added to the school cafeteria. The day that the salad bar arrived, we chewed on our greens and savored the taste of sweet success.
Understandably, not all schools—and especially elementary schools—can serve up salads every day, and realistically, how many kids would eat salad everyday if they could? Parents want their kids to be fit, healthy and ready to learn—especially when we can’t be there in-person to make sure that little Jimmy eats all of his vegetables. For many parents this means taking matters into their own hands and packing a lunch to send off to school with their kids. If you are looking for ways to pack more goodness into your child’s diet, here are a few suggestions of foods that can provide benefits to your kid(s) diet to keep them energized and (hopefully) learning all day long:
• Go With the Grain: Whole grains are a wonderful addition to your child’s lunch because they are part of the carbohydrate family and provide the main source of fuel for the body. This helps to provide kids with the energy they need to handle the demands of the day. You can easily add whole grains into a packed lunch by making a sandwich with whole grain bread or providing a small serving of whole grain crackers.
• Focus on Fiber: Similar to whole grains, fiber also provides the energy that kids need to stay focused on their daily tasks. However, fiber also provides a nice feeling of fullness that can help curb kids’ appetites in between lunch and their afternoon snack or dinner. A serving of fruit, liked sliced apples, a medium banana, or an orange are all easy ways to add fiber to a bagged lunch. Dried fruit, like dried apricots, raisins and cherries can also pack a punch of fiber. In the colder months you can increase fiber intake by adding a cup of bean or lentil soup in a thermos.
• Keep Your Eye on Ball: Eating foods that can promote healthy vision is important at all ages. Foods like carrots, spinach, and cantaloupe can all help with eye health. Consider replacing the lettuce on a turkey and cheese sandwich with spinach, and serving it with a side of baby carrots or cut cantaloupe.
• Bone Up with Calcium: Kids need calcium to ensure that their bones get the nutrients they need to help them grow. Research suggests that meeting calcium needs in our younger years is integral to good bone health in our later years. Calcium and vitamin D are commonly found in dairy foods, along with a host of other helpful vitamins and nutrients, including potassium, phosphorus, protein, vitamins A and B12, riboflavin and niacin. Try to get three servings of dairy foods in to your child’s diet each day. Adding cheese to a sandwich is one way to provide a serving of dairy during lunch. You can also serve up a side of yogurt or low-fat or fat-free milk.
• The Power of Protein: Protein is important for people of all ages, but especially for growing children. Make sure that your children get the protein they need in their lunch by providing a sandwich with deli meat or a classic peanut butter and jelly. Protein isn’t all about meat, soybeans, tofu, nuts, dairy foods (e.g., cheese, yogurt, and milk) and beans can all provide added protein to a packed lunch.
• Don’t be Afraid to Fit Fat In: Children need healthful fats in their diet. Fat is required for maintenance of healthy skin, to help with the development of certain substances that regulate many body functions, and to help with the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K and carotenoids. A certain type of fat known as omega-3 fatty acids can also help promote mental function. Try adding a small serving of walnuts to a yogurt cup or salad, or make a tuna salad for lunch.
Don’t Forget to Fit Breakfast In
School lunch is a means to an end. While the food is important the true impact of the lunch is not realized until you have a well-nourished child sitting in front of an educator ready to learn. With this in mind, we have to do double time and consider not just what we are preparing for lunch but also make sure that we are sending our kids off to school with a healthful breakfast. We know that the morning can often be one of the most stressful times of the day. To help you get the family out of the house and provide a healthful breakfast, we have developed a resource just for you:Putting the Fast in Breakfast—Quick and Easy Solutions.
Do you—or did your parents—ever do anything special for your packed lunch? Tell us about it below.