Back to school is here! Parents dread the daily grind of making lunches – there’s a battle between what kids want to eat & what’s good for them. Healthy meals are essential to a child’s well-being, growth and learning – it affects focus, energy, immune system and mood.
Watch Rose on Breakfast Television breaking down what makes a great lunch here!
Typical School Lunches
Lose: Chicken fingers and fries
Choose: Baked chicken finger and bake wedge (homemade or store-bought)
Lose: Deli meat, hot dogs
Choose: Sliced oven roasted chicken & roast beef
Lose: Processed cheese
Choose: Whole sliced cheese or Babybel
Lose: White breads, “multigrain” breads, white Pasta, white rice
Choose: 100 % whole wheat – pitas, tortillas, bread, crackers, English muffins, bagels, whole grain pasta/ quinoa, brown rice
Lose: Lunchables
Choose: Make your own bento box – veggies/hummus/fruit/milk
Lose: Juice cocktails
Choose: Real juices, water, milk
Lose: Thick crust pizza
Choose: Thin crust, whole wheat – add more veggies and cheese
Lose: Sugary cereals, granola, waffle, croissant, oatmeal
Choose: Egg & English muffin
Lose: Caesar salad
Choose: Choose salads with lots of veggies, protein and light dressings
Snacks
Lose: processed, packaged snacks, granola bars
Choose: diced fruits over sending them whole
Lose: artificial fruit snacks
Choose: dried or fresh fruit
Lose: artificially sweetened yogourts
Choose: healthier yogurt options like Greek yogurt
Choose: Eggs, edameme, seeds, hummus
