ON LUNCH
Try a healthy after-school
strawberry shake. Find the
recipe at
Getting schooled
Get tips from a Jackson Hospital dietitian
More than
2,000. That’s how many
school lunches you could pack by the
time your child graduates from high
school.
That’s a lot of lunches.
Add to that the need to make those
meals both delicious and nutritious, and
the task can seem overwhelming.
Fortunately, there are ways to make
it less daunting and a lot more fun for
everyone.
“Packing a healthy lunch for your child
is so important to their success at school
each day,” said Ali Pritchett, dietitian at
Jackson Hospital. “Children need foods
that provide sustained energy and help
them stay focused. You can start small
by replacing a sugary drink with some-
thing healthier. Drinks that are loaded
with sugar can lead to a crash later in
the day, which creates a situation where
a child may not be paying attention in
class. As far as foods, whole grains, fruits,
vegetables and lean proteins are ideal.
And, there are so many choices that
allow making lunch easy. Take
your children with you to the
grocery store and let them choose
fruits and vegetables they like,
and they’ll find that lunch can be
fun, tasty and healthy.”
❑
Get the kids involved.
Sit down
together and make a list of each child’s
favorite fruits, veggies, whole grains and
lean proteins. Mix and match from the
list when planning lunches for the week.
Or let the kids plan an entire lunch once
in a while. (And feel free to include an
occasional favorite treat when you’re on
lunch-making duty.)
❑
Try something new.
Broaden your
child’s culinary horizons with occasional
forays into the unknown. Peruse the pro-
duce aisle for fun new treats, such as star
fruit, freeze-dried strawberries or jicama.
❑
Create interest.
Grab your child’s
attention with fun shapes—put those
cookie cutters to good use on sandwiches
and other items—and sizes (mini-muffins,
anyone?). Turn fruits or vegetables into
kebabs. Or go with a theme, such as
using foods of all one color in the lunch,
along with napkins and utensils to match.
❑
Ask the kids to help.
Your kids may
be more likely to eat things they’ve
helped prepare. So get them to pitch in
on making that pasta salad or rolling up
that wrap. And enjoy the bonding time as
you work together.
❑
Finally, don’t forget to make food
safety a part of your plans.
Use insu-
lated lunch bags to keep cold foods cold
and hot foods hot.
For more information on
children’s nutrition, visit
Sources:Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics;
American Academy of Pediatrics
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