WASHINGTON — It’s almost back-to-school time, and parents who pack lunches for their kids face the challenge of putting together a healthy lunch that the kids will actually eat and enjoy.
Sally Squires, who writes the Lean Plate Club™ blog, says it really helps to get the kids themselves involved in the lunch-making process. Squires says the level of involvement is likely to vary depending on the age of the child.
Little kids might just help you decide what to make for lunch, whereas older children can make their own lunches — if you provide healthy ingredients, they can go on from there. And Squires says giving a child a choice is the way to go.
So instead of asking “What would you like for lunch,” you can say, “Would you prefer bananas, grapes or apples? Celery or carrots? Apples or diced peaches?” The choice helps to empower kids and they end up feeling like they’re choosing what they’re eating.
And don’t underestimate the power of flavors and texture. Some kids don’t like lumps or chunks, and it could take seven to 10 tries for a child to accept a new food.
Parents don’t need to make lunch with a calculator nearby, but calories are worth keeping in the back of your mind. It’s not unusual to overestimate portion size and the number of calories that kids need — and that can vary, depending on the child’s age and activity level:
- Younger teen boys can need 1,600 to 3,200 calories per day;
- Boys 14 and older need 2,000 to 3,200 calories daily;
- Younger teen girls need 1,400 to 2,200;
- And girls 14 and older need 1,800-2,400 calories.
But younger kids just don’t need that much. Preschoolers need about 1,000 to 1,400 calories per day, while elementary school-age kids need about 1,200 to 1,800. So instead of teaching them to clean their plates, Squires says, they should just eat until they feel full.
As for teaching kids to eat healthy in general, she adds, you need to be a role model: No grazing in the kitchen, no bag of chips in front of the TV and no candy bars in the car. If you’re going to talk to the talk, you’ve got to walk the walk.
