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Lunch is one of the most difficult meal-time challenges we face. And since some of my son’s days can be quite long, it’s important that the items I pack in his lunchbox are healthy and packed with nutrients that will support his mental and physical growth. Although not as picky as many children, my son has his preferences and if I get too elaborate, the lunch I pack for him will come back uneaten. Similarly, if I pack the same foods day after day, my son will tire of them and refuse to eat. Fortunately, the past year or so has challenged me to come up with creative ways to pack a lunch my son enjoys and wants to eat. Here are 6 healthy school lunch tips that I have found to be essential in getting my children to eat the food I pack them:
1. The “lunch box” really matters. My son is at a stage in his life where certain characters are very important to him. He absolutely loves to play with LEGOS and Superheroes which are the inspiration for his latest lunch box. Creating excitement around lunch as well as allowing him some autonomy to decide what type of lunch box he wanted has been helpful in getting my son to eat what’s packed inside.
2. Get your child involved. One of the best tips I gleaned from another mom was to include my son in the planning and preparation of his lunch. While I can’t always bring him to the grocery store with me, at the very least I ask him to name some foods he’d like to eat for lunch. If I’ve had some forethought the night before, I’ll have him help me pack the lunch. This simple act helps him take responsibility and ownership and makes it more likely that he will eat his lunch.
3. Talk about it. Rather than simply telling my son he needed to eat his lunch, I began shifting our conversations to “why” he needs to eat lunch and what the expectations were as far as what and how much he would eat. These conversations are a wonderful opportunity to teach my son about the basics of nutrition.
4. Be flexible. At some point, I realized that my expectations for my son to eat his entire lunch were unrealistic. After several discussions, we agreed that he would eat certain foods (such as the sandwich, the fruit, etc.) and that it was ok if he did not eat everything I packed on a given day.
5. Get creative. I’ll admit that I don’t always have time to put together a bento box for my son. But even something as simple as using a cookie cutter to cut shapes out of the bread can create excitement around lunchtime. Similarly, an unexpected note inside your child’s lunchbox can remind them that you packed their lunch with love and that you’re thinking about them throughout the school day.
6. Change it up. Many children are content to eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches each and every day. My son is not one of those children. Every week, we have a conversation about what types of foods he’d like to eat this week. I try to pack a variety of cold and hot meals so that he isn’t bored or tired of eating one particular food.
So what do I pack my son for lunch? While it varies from day to day, here are a few ideas that you’ll routinely find in my son’s lunchbox:
1. The deconstructed sandwich. Turkey and ham are my son’s favorites along with a slice of vegan cheese and some fresh-cut veggies.
2. Whole wheat pasta with ground turkey breast and tomatoes. We eat pasta for dinner at least once a week so I make sure to cook extras to pack for my son the following day. I recommend investing in a thermos that will keep foods hot for 6-8 hours since many children won’t eat cold foods that are designed to be eaten hot.
In addition to the above two staple go-to meals, I pack fresh fruit, a granola bar, chips or crackers, water, and Mott’s Juice Drinks. The weather has been warming up around here (itwas nearly 80 last week!) which means I am being vigilant about making sure my son stays adequately hydrated at school. While my son isn’t opposed to drinking water, it isn’t ever his first choice which makes it a challenge to get him to drink enough.
With flavors like Fruit Punch Rush and Wild Grape Surge, he’s been staying hydrated while getting in a full serving of fruit*and 100% daily value of vitamin C. Mott’s Juice Drinks are made with real fruit juices and contain less sugar than fruit juice.
While I don’t anticipate that the challenges of lunch will disappear (even I struggle with deciding what to eat for lunch as an adult), the tips I’ve provided above are a great way to create excitement around lunch time while educating children about the importance of a nutritious, well-balanced meal.
What are your best tips for getting your child to eat lunch? I’d love to share them below. And for more information about Mott’s new Juice Drinks, visit Motts.com.
*Provides 1 fruit serving per 8 fl oz. Current USDA Dietary Guidelines recommend a daily intake of 2 cups of fruit for a 2,000 calorie diet. 1 serving of 100%juice = ½ cup.
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