Healthy School Lunches
Posted by Meadow Summers on Friday, January 14, 2011
Under: Nutrition
When considering what to eat for lunch, coming up with healthy school lunch ideas is essential. Do you know the reason why? Eating a variety of healthy foods gives you energy to do things that help you develop and maintain good health, and can even prevent you from getting sick. Think about your child’s school lunch as the fuel put into their tank. Choosing the wrong type of fuel could run you out of energy before the day is over.
For a healthy school lunch for your kids, you need to take into account some considerations. The first step in this process is to bring your child to the grocery store with you. The second step is to involve them in choosing their lunch. You may be surprised by your child’s choices. Do not stress if your kid likes to eat carrots each day, and says no to consuming other vegetables. At least it is a vegetable and eventually, if other vegetables are available, your child will most likely try something else.
Many schools across the country are even jumping onto the health bandwagon and offering healthier choices for lunch while doing away with the sugary sodas and treats that were once readily available.
A healthy school meal consists of a fruit, a lean protein, and a vegetable along with a nutritious drink. Here are some great healthy school lunch ideas:
Lean protein:
It takes a real balancing act for a bagged lunch to become a full nutrient package. Recent studies explained that children who consume healthy school meals have higher intakes of nutrients - at lunch and during the course of a full day. This is good news, because when children are better nourished, they do better in school.
From children to parents to teachers, all will benefit with a nutritious school lunch.
For a healthy school lunch for your kids, you need to take into account some considerations. The first step in this process is to bring your child to the grocery store with you. The second step is to involve them in choosing their lunch. You may be surprised by your child’s choices. Do not stress if your kid likes to eat carrots each day, and says no to consuming other vegetables. At least it is a vegetable and eventually, if other vegetables are available, your child will most likely try something else.
Many schools across the country are even jumping onto the health bandwagon and offering healthier choices for lunch while doing away with the sugary sodas and treats that were once readily available.
A healthy school meal consists of a fruit, a lean protein, and a vegetable along with a nutritious drink. Here are some great healthy school lunch ideas:
Lean protein:
- tuna fish
- natural peanut butter (without added sugar or hydrogenated oils)
- lean chicken
- lean turkey
- Melon (watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew) are high in potassium and vitamin C. They are crunchy treats that are easy to prepare and include in a lunchbox.
- A lunch box with fruit packed with additional attention to the presentation makes it more appealing to children. Think of various fruit colors such as orange, berries, apple slices, or kiwi fruit. And viola! You will have a mouth-watering fruit bowl that is loaded with important nutrients such as fiber and vitamins.
- cucumber slices
- carrots and celery
- squash slices
- slices of broccoli or cauliflower plus a healthy dip
- veggie smoothie
- green tea smoothie
- 100% fruit juice
- fruit smoothie made with soy or nut milk
It takes a real balancing act for a bagged lunch to become a full nutrient package. Recent studies explained that children who consume healthy school meals have higher intakes of nutrients - at lunch and during the course of a full day. This is good news, because when children are better nourished, they do better in school.
From children to parents to teachers, all will benefit with a nutritious school lunch.
In : Nutrition
Tags: "healthy school lunches" "healthy school lunch" "healthy lunch" "healthy school lunch ideas"
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