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With today’s busy schedules packing kids lunches for school can be a challenge. Even more challenging is including nutritious foods that will end up in your child’s tummy and not the trash. Packing nutritious lunches helps form life-long healthy eating habits, and balanced nutrition can help your child concentrate, retain knowledge, and be more motivated to learn. 

 “If you find that your child’s lunch often goes uneaten, investigate why. Does their sandwich get squished in their backpack? Are they bored with apples for snacks? Often lunches are better received when kids have been involved in planning and packing them” says Interior Health Community Nutritionist, Simone Jennings. 

To make lunch foods more appealing to kids, try reducing the portion size and increasing the variety. For example, instead of a whole sandwich, try half a sandwich with a few whole grain crackers and cheese, and some grapes or carrot sticks. If you like to bake, try making mini muffins and send two or three for a snack instead of one big one. Pack fruits and vegetables as finger foods with dip. 

Involve kids as much as possible when planning, preparing and packing lunches.  The more pride your child has in his lunch, the more likely he is to eat it.  Remember that kids are often rushed at lunch time.  Lunches with nutrient dense choices, including high protein foods like beans, nuts or meat will keep kids full and will help them concentrate all afternoon.  Choose foods from each of the four food groups to provide balanced nutrition. To keep lunch foods cool, freeze a small 100% juice box, milk or soy milk to act as an ice pack. 

Here are a few more quick and healthy lunch and snack ideas:

-   Slice pita bread into small triangles and serve with hummus for dipping

-  Create tortilla roll-ups: whole grain tortillas filled with tuna, peanut butter and banana, cheese and cucumber, or other fillings. Roll them up and slice them into 2” pieces

-  Put your child’s favourite sandwich filling into a small whole grain bagel

-  Cook extra the night before: cold chicken drumsticks, pizza or pasta are great for lunch

-  Allow kids to ‘create their own combos’.  In a container with multiple compartments put whole grain crackers, crisp bread, or pita triangles, cheese chunks or slices, sliced cucumber, cherry tomatoes, pickles, sliced peppers or any of the favourite cracker toppings

-  Serve carrot, cucumber or red pepper sticks with a healthy dip

-  Slice up strawberries, blueberries, grapes or cubed melon with yogurt for dipping

-  Pack skewers of cooked meat and cubed cheese and veggies. 

For more information on healthy eating and resources for childhood nutrition visit www.interiorhealth.ca and follow the Choose Health heading to the Healthy Eating page.

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