Win Win Lunch Packing Tips and Tricks From Our Home to Yours
Sep 13, 2021
I know one of the drawbacks for any parent with kids going back to school is daily lunch preparation - especially if your child is a picky eater.
Over the years, I have always involved my boys in what items will go into their lunches. This includes them accompanying me to the grocery store to pick out items that are agreeable to both of us. Agreeable to me means the nutritional value is high with limited unwanted ingredients. Agreeable to them is how it tastes.
As you can guess, this is not always an easy task. Pre-packaged, convenient snacks usually contain sugar, gluten and preservatives - three of the things we try to minimize in our family’s diet due to the impact they can have on body functions. Then there are “healthy” foods that contain “unhealthy” ingredients. Yogurts, granola bars, cookies and crackers are all commonly used items in school lunches, but some of these items can have unwanted ingredients and do not provide the nutritional value that you would expect them to.
So what do I put in their lunch?
First I try to find fruits and vegetables that keep well in containers and don’t get brown or soggy. This would mean that I would not recommend bananas as I know from my own childhood experiences that they get mushy before lunch.
For fruit, I would recommend in-season berries, apple slices with a little bit of lemon or lime juice on them to prevent browning or half-peeled mandarins/clementines as these are usually welcomed items.
Carrots, cucumbers, green beans and celery are vegetables with great staying power for lunches. If your kids need to dip them in order to eat them, I recommend hummus or guacamole. There are many brands that come in individual containers and contain favourable ingredients.
For those of you who have kids that bring sandwiches for lunch, I recommend trying to reduce the amounts of nitrates, gluten and sugar that they contain. To reduce the amount of gluten being consumed, you may want to try Udi or Kinnikinnick bread instead of regular sliced bread. These options tend to be a little dry so we usually toast them before making their sandwiches. There is also a new product on the market called Carbonaut which does not need to be toasted and has been receiving favourable reviews from our family. (We recommend the gluten-free versions so pay attention to the packaging). If lunch/deli meats are in the centre of your sandwich, always try and use options that are nitrate and antibiotic free. The Superstore currently has their own brand, but there are always new products coming to market as the demand for them grows.
Not so long ago, kids were able to bring leftovers to school and heat them up in the microwave in the cafeteria. In recent times this hasn’t been possible so we now have thermoses for each of the boys so that we can heat their food up at home in the morning and they can enjoy something hot for lunch. It might be leftovers from the night before, soup or gluten-free noodles with a hearty sauce. This may not be manageable every morning, as it certainly isn’t for my family, but by sending hot lunch, even once a week, it offers them a welcomed change.
Lastly, I try to keep their lunches as varied as possible. I always keep a lookout for new products when I am grocery shopping and will sometimes add popcorn or a Made Good granola bar, for example, so they have something different for a treat.
Remember not to change everything in their lunches all at once. Take small steps and take them consistently. It’s all about striking a balance between providing a lunch that you know is good for them and one that they will enjoy.