Kids are heading back to school and if you have a picky eater in your house, packing up a nutritious lunch can be hard. Here are some tips from a pediatrician and mother of a picky child.
“School lunches should not be where we’re kind of reaching for the stars to introduce a lot of new foods,” said Dr. Alicia Tucker a pediatrician at Children’s National’s IDEAL Clinic, which treats children with diet-related chronic disease.
She urged parents to focus on the basic food staples of proteins, fruits, vegetables, starches and carbohydrates.
Focus on the basics
Try to prepare meals that provide a balance of those food groups — such as a turkey cheese wrap.
“We’ve got the turkey and cheese for your protein and some dairy for healthy fat,” she said. “You can add a little extra hummus, guacamole and wrap it all up and your tortilla — you’ve got your starch.”
Add a fruit cup and you have a really well balanced easy go to meal, she said.
You can also do healthier versions of things that your kids already love, such as a home-prepared alternative to those sodium-packed Lunchables.
Grab whole wheat crackers, deli turkey or leftover chicken and cheese slices for a healthier kid-friendly charcuterie.
Pack a ‘safety snack’
Another good tip is to pack a “safety snack,” something nutritious you know your kids will eat, such as a bag of popcorn, Tucker said.
“Even some of the low sodium jerkies can be a really good nonperishable source of protein,” she added.
If you have a good fruit or veggie eater you’re packing for, some great things to include in school lunches are hearty types of fruits — such as bananas, oranges, apple slices, cut-up veggies sticks and mini tomatoes.
If your student is also an athlete, you may want to pack up an extra snack for them as well. She suggested around 100 calories for younger kids and 200 to 300 calories for teenagers.
“An example of that may be something like pretzel and hummus cups,” she said. “There’s lots of good granola bars like CLIF and Kind bars. Making your own trail mix is a great option.”
Avoid sugary drinks
And while it’s not the end of the world when a bag of chips or cookie find their way into the lunch pail, Tucker advises against packing sugary drinks.
“They are not really going to provide the right kind of energy, we kind of get a little bit of that crash,” she said. “Water, water, water! Most kids do not hydrate well during the school day. So really trying to get them to have water with their lunch is important.”
