The Healthy Lunch Box

bu Brenna Leah Cashman, BHSc.,RNCP
The Challenge of Healthy Food

    It’s a busy school morning and amid the hustle and bustle of trying to get everyone dressed, fed and out the door on time, you have to figure out what to fill those lunchboxes with.  The school is nut-free so peanut butter is out and you’ve read that too much tuna can cause mercury poisoning so you don’t want to serve tuna again and your child has just decided that she doesn’t like cheese so that’s no longer an option.  Snacks are no better.  The baby carrots came back uneaten yesterday and your son complained that pretzels are too healthy.  All three of your children have been clamoring for chips instead and you’re beginning to think you might just give in.  It’s hard enough figuring out breakfast and supper – who can think about lunch?

The Challenge of a Healthy Lunch

    Packing nutritious school lunches that your children will actually eat can seem like an impossible challenge.  On top of the normal meal considerations, come those that are specific to packed lunches: food temperature, peer pressure, nut free policies, and the transportability of the food.  Even children who eat reasonably well at home may be more difficult about school lunches.  Sandwiches--a school standard--aren’t enjoyed by every child.  Leftover dinner isn’t always good at room temperature.  Eating tofu and rice might be okay at home with the family, but not so cool among peers.  In addition, being exposed to classmates’ lunches may give your children all kinds of ideas about what snacks they’d like – snacks, you were hoping they’d never discover.

Your Little Sous-Chef

    What’s a parent to do?  Improving the quality of your child’s lunch is possible but it may take a little time and work.  Even children in preschool have opinions about what they want in their lunches.  Since this may differ from what they are willing to eat at home, it is necessary to consult and not merely assume.  Allow children to participate in the shopping, choosing, and preparing of food.  Children enjoy the feeling of choice and independence and they are more likely to eat foods they have picked themselves.  An added benefit is that this will take some of the pressure off of you.  It’s harder for a child to complain about a lunch he helped to prepare! 
Of course, the assistant chef may have some less than ideal opinions about what should go in the lunchbox.  Here is where the parent needs to take over.  Children are not entitled to every junky snack on the planet, simply because their classmates seem to have them.  Parental modeling and guidance are necessary when it comes to proper food choices: be willing to say “no.”    Parents can help their children understand what acceptable food selections are by making nutrition a family discussion.

What Makes a Meal Nutritious?

    Balance, moderation, and variety are key to a healthy diet.  When it comes to school lunches simplify decision making by ensuring that these vital nutrients are being included everyday.
1)    Protein – Every lunch needs to contain a good source of protein.  Whether this is part of a sandwich, snack, or its own dish, make sure that protein is being included.  Examples of protein sources include: cheese, yogurt, poultry, eggs, fish, beans, soy products, and meat.
2)    Fruits and vegetables – This can be the hardest category for some children.  A child who is willing to eat fresh fruit and/or vegetable sticks is an easy customer.  For those who won’t eat fruit and vegetables in their original form, consider applesauce, dried fruit, vegetable juices, homemade banana muffins or zucchini bread, and raisin boxes.
3)    Complex carbohydrates – Most children like carbohydrates.  The problem is the ones they like most are usually refined and sugary.  Good carbohydrates come in the form of whole grains such as oats, whole wheat, quinoa, spelt, barley, and millet.  Try to use whole grain breads when making sandwiches.  Where possible choose snacks like pretzels, crackers, and cookies that have been made with whole grains.  If you make muffins or other home baked snacks, make the switch to whole wheat flour.  It is generally not noticeable and will be a more nutritious choice for your child.
These three categories will help to provide balance in your child’s lunchbox.  Moderation can be achieved by allowing your child some food choices that are less than ideal, in small amounts or in healthier forms.  For example, a child who begs for chips may be satisfied with a baked variety.  The child who really, really wants cookies may be okay with getting just one or two, or be happier yet, with some homemade healthier version.  Some children aren’t tempted by the snacks they see around them.  Others want to devour all the sugar in sight.  Be sensitive to your child’s cravings.  A little bit of sugar in moderation may help satisfy a child who would otherwise sneak it behind your back.
Variety is the third aspect to consider.  Most of us get bored eating the exact same thing every day.  It can be tempting to make the same lunch over and over, especially if it is a relatively healthy one that seems to be acceptable to your child.  However, it is better to alternate foods.  This allows a greater intake of different nutrients and makes it more likely that the child will continue to enjoy the food.  It can also encourage your child to try new foods.  If a child seems to become disinterested in a food that was formerly liked, give it some time and then try offering the food again.

What Makes a Lunch Desirable?

    It is one thing to pack a lunch that is nutritious.  It’s another to get your kid to actually eat and enjoy it.  Aside from throwing in lots of sugar and chocolate, how can you make your child’s lunch the envy of the lunchroom? 
A good first step is to make sure the foods packed are all things your child generally likes.  One of the most common obstacles to having children eat well at school is the availability of every other child’s lunch.  These unknown lunches can contain temptations in the form of highly processed, sugary snacks.  Worse yet, your child may actually be eating them.  Strange as it may seem, it is possible to trade a relatively healthy snack for a very junky one, and your child may be doing this every day. 
If your child admits to giving away the healthy oatmeal cookies you’ve been slaving over, resist the temptation to scream about all the love and hard work you put into those cookies.  Instead, see if there is something else your child would prefer.  While ideally, we would all like our children to have nutritionally perfect lunches, it is more important to find relatively nutritious foods that will actually be eaten.  Some compromise, by both you and your child may be necessary, but that’s okay.  The goal is to keep children eating the lunches that you pack, instead of someone else’s.
    Children also enjoy lunches that are fun.  Part of the allure of junk food is the bright colours, interesting shapes, and kid-friendly packaging.  Fruit by comparison, may seem boring.  Get creative in the kitchen and see if you can jazz up your child’s lunch with your own packaging tricks: try using cookie cutters to give sandwiches new appeal, send plastic containers with colorful lids, tie a ribbon around the veggie slices and include a yummy dip for them.  When shopping, keep your eye out for healthier snacks that come in individual little packages like craisins and other fruit treats, yogurts, and puddings.  Add surprise notes for children who can read or draw pictures on paper bag lunches. 
It may only require one extra “feature” in your child’s lunch box to get him to start to look forward to the lunches you send. And even if you can only manage to upgrade his diet a little, remember that every small bit counts.