Dear Friends,

We all want our children to be successful in school. And in my opinion, one of the most important ways to get your child through the school day is by making sure he’s fueled adequately.

Unfortunately, the school cafeteria has become a place filled with poor diet choices. From franchise fast food offerings to soda machine temptations, today’s kids are faced with a lot of less than healthy choices at lunchtime. The typical child’s lunchbox is often filled with fat, sugar and salt and lacking healthy fruit, vegetables and whole grains.

Let me help you pack a good lunchbox—one he’ll eat and one that will give him what he needs. Healthy lunchboxes are just one way to help reinforce healthy eating in childhood when eating habits are being formed. Instilling healthy eating habits is more important than ever as child obesity rates have soared in recent years!

The key to a healthy lunchbox is balance. Having a decent protein/carb ratio in your child’s lunchbox will help them finish the day with energy to spare. Here are my top 4 tips for packing a healthier lunchbox.

1) Wipe Out White Bread. Breads made with whole grains are better sources of fiber and keep your kids feeling full longer. They also have more of other important nutrients, such as selenium, potassium and magnesium. The good news is that it’s easy to find whole grain options at grocery stores for everything from bread to crackers to tortillas. I’m nuts about Rudi’s Bakery. My kids love their breads and they have the soft mouth feel of white bread.

2) Choose Cheese. Cheese is a good way to give your child a little fat (choose the low fat varieties) protein and a bit of carbs. Cheese is great for kids. I am partial to cheeses aged over 60 days as they have a tendency to be easier to digest. My children didn’t do well with regular cheese due to a lactose intolerance but did great with cultured and aged dairy products such as yogurt and aged cheese.

3) Don’t Skimp on Fruit. Swap fruit for sugary snacks that cause kids’ energy lives to nosedive after launch. A few fresh blueberries they can stir into their own yogurt work well. Apples, peeled oranges and grapes make great lunchbox additions as well. Sprinkle cinnamon on apples for extra flavor and disguise the natural browning process.

4) Nuts for You. I know there are a lot of schools that don’t allow peanut butter and sadly, there are so many allergies out there with nuts. If your child isn’t one of them and it’s okay to pack a PB&J, this is one of the healthiest sandwiches you can pack. It’s got everything going for it—protein, fiber, carbs, good fat, it’s a great sandwich. And truth be told, I’ve had a few PB&J’s for dinner at different times in my life—this sandwich has saved me many times.

Remember that deli meats have nitrites in them and are of major concern because of the cancer connection. My strong recommendation is to buy nitrite free deli meats. Hormel is a good brand (they’re in brown boxes with the rest of the deli meats at your local grocery store) or you can find them in health food stores or Trader Joe’s.

This is an easy doable thing (packing a lunch) when it is a part of your morning routine. Get your pantry and fridge stocked with what you need so you’re able to get this done!

Love,
Leanne Ely
www.savingdinner.com
(your Dinner Diva at your service!)

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