PUTTING TOGETHER A school lunch is
pretty easy. Putting together a school lunch
that is nutritious and tasty and that your child
will actually eat—not so simple.
Yet that midday meal is important for
schoolkids. Eating a healthy lunch helps your
child concentrate better in class and have
more energy for sports. It also means your
child is less likely to indulge in junk food
after school, notes the American Dietetic
Association (ADA).
Strategy for nutrition
Plan a lunch that gives your child the
nutrients needed for healthy growth and
development. Include a choice from each
of the fve food groups: fruits, vegetables,
protein, dairy and grains.
Next, make a list of lunch box-friendly foods
your child likes in each category. Don’t be afraid
to try something different—if your child loves
leftover pizza or enjoys cold cereal, those can
be great starting points to build lunch around.
Make sure you have the proper gear too.
An insulated lunch box, an ice pack and a
good thermos open up a whole new world of
options, from hot soups to cold pasta salads.
Make it fun
Once you’ve taken care of the basics, fnd
ways to make those lunches creative too. Here
are some ideas:
■■
Offer new shapes and sizes of food, like star
fruit or minimuffns. Cut sandwiches into fun
shapes with cookie cutters.
■■
Make theme lunches—try all red food and
utensils for Valentine’s Day, or go green for
Earth Day.
Make it a treat
Need more inspiration? Consider these
treats from the ADA:
■■
Make skewers with chunks of turkey, cheese,
melon and cucumber. Serve them with whole-
grain crackers and low-fat chocolate milk.
■■
Spread a cinnamon raisin bagel with peanut
butter and banana slices. Pair it with some
baby carrots and milk.
■■
Spread refried beans on a whole-grain
tortilla; sprinkle it with cheese for a quick and
easy burrito. Include some salsa for dipping,
along with fruit slices and milk.
Handling a
picky eater
When your child is a picky
eater, the dinner table may
feel like a tug-of-war. Here
are some ways to handle the
struggle.
Don’t make a big deal
about it. For some kids, being
choosy about their food is one
way to exercise independence.
Trying to force them to eat
certain foods will make them
dig in their heels even more.
Offer wholesome choices.
You don’t have to be a short-
order cook, but you could offer
several nutritious options—
fruit and whole-grain rolls,
for example—alongside the
entree.
Be persistent. You may
need to offer a new food on
several occasions before your
child will try it. And it may take
a few more attempts before
he or she starts to like it.
Plan a menu together.
And let your child help in
the kitchen too—kids are
more likely to eat a meal that
they’ve helped plan and fx.
American Academy of Pediatrics; American
Dietetic Association
“Keep
healthy
snacks
readily
available,
and set a good
example with
your own eating
habits.”
—Jimmy Unger, MD, PeaceHealth
Medical Group pediatrician
It’s all in
the bag
Children’s health
To learn about our pediatric services, visit
www.peacehealth.org/pediatrics.
www.peacehealth.org
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