Packing nutrition in a school lunchbox
Back to school includes back to packing lunches for many parents and their students.
And it can be tough keeping lunch fun while packing the nutrition needed to fuel the learning.
Annette Benedetti is the editor-in-chief of local parenting magazine, True North, and she says there are three rules parents should stick to when deciding how to pack their kids lunches.
“Healthy obviously,” Benedetti said. “We also need it to be something quick and efficient to put together, because a lot of us don’t have time to put together extravagant meals for lunch, and also cost-efficient.”
As a mother of three, Benedetti also knows early school mornings can be hectic.
“If you really want to be quick in the morning, and you’re making healthy meals at night, leftovers make for great lunches,” she said.
And making lunch healthy isn’t just about calories, but covering all the basic food groups.
Annie Williamson, a registered dietitian at Bend Memorial Clinic, emphasized a good breakfast and lunch are key to success in the classroom.
“Making sure that they have a good variety of a good lean protein source, a fruit a vegetable, a whole grain, and even a dairy product, are recommended,” Williamson said.
But even if you’re packing all the foods groups, how can you be sure some of those veggies aren’t being tossed in the trash? According to Williamson and Benedetti the answer may be giving the kids more responsibility with their meals.
“My kids love peppers,” Benedetti said. “So we let them go into the vegetable section and pick them out and chop them up with us.”
“If they’re helping plan it and pick out what they have, they’re more likely to eat it,” Williamson said.
And they both warn parents away from pre-packaged meals and juice boxes.
“Those foods aren’t as health –, they’re expensive and create a lot of waste,” Benedetti said.
So parents, if you’re running out for some last minute school supplies, you might want to toss back the juice boxes and stock up on the fruit and veggies instead.
