Keep kids full and fueled with a power-packed lunch box

Build a Better Lunchbox

Feel good about fueling kids at school

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SAMFORD ACADEMY OF THE ARTS

An Academy of the Arts music student plays piano during a performance.

BY HOLLEY GRAINGER, MS, RD

A, B, C. Milk, plum, pea. Good nutrition and learning go hand-in-hand, and these lunchbox tips will help you set up your child for success, in and out of the classroom.

1. Be aware of lunchbox food safety. Before diving directly into lunch, it’s important to look at the lunchbox itself. Because refrigeration isn’t an option at many schools, students are required to store their lunchboxes in cubbies or lockers. Therefore, it is important to make sure that perishable foods stay cold throughout the day. Skip brown paper bags and opt for insulated lunch totes packed with a frozen item such as a water bottle, yogurt tube, or small ice pack.

2. Use milk or 100% orange juice to boost nutrition. It’s important to include foods and beverages that have one or more key nutrients like protein, whole grains, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals. Even dedicated lunch packers can focus on the main entrée and leave the sides and beverages as an unhealthy afterthought. But they’re an easy way to pack in more nutrients. First, 100% orange juice is a sweet and delicious way to boost the nutrition in your child’s diet by delivering vitamin C, potassium, folate, and many other nutrients. Despite what some

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may believe, there is no added sugar in 100% orange juice, making it a satisfyingly thirstquenching drink. Plus, children love it, making it easy for them to meet the 4 to 6 ounces per day recommendation. Another beverage option is milk. Each serving provides 9 essential nutrients and 8 grams of high-quality protein. If your child is buying school lunch, encourage him or her to pick up a carton of white or flavored milk. As a reminder, all varieties of milk provide the same nutrients, including three of the top nutrients most likely to be missing from a child’s diet: calcium, vitamin D, and potassium. If the only way your child will drink milk is if it’s chocolate, that’s okay! The approximately 60 additional calories from sugar are a small price to pay for a big nutritional boost.

3. Offer tempting and healthy sides. Only 12% of American children are meeting the recommended servings for fruit, and only 8% are meeting the recommend servings for veggies. One smart way to get kids to eat more of what they need is by focusing on sides and snacks. For a double dose, pair veggies with dip like hummus or guacamole. You can also pack in-season produce like watermelon, peaches, and berries or, in a pinch, pick up pre-sliced fruit like apples and nectarines. Sending fruits and vegetables has never been as easy and convenient as it is now. While you may pay a little more money for portion-controlled packs, the expense for a healthier item is worth it. Alternatively, create your own pre-portioned snacks on the weekend so they’re available all week for your child to quickly add to a backpack or lunchbox. 4. Supplement lunches with healthy snacks. School lunch periods can be scheduled at all different times. One of my girl’s kindergarten lunch was at 10:30 a.m., making for a long afternoon. Kids think and play hard at school, and often their stomachs can’t wait for the lunch bell or bus home to refuel. If this is your situation and your child’s teacher offers snack time, think beyond the convenience of a bag of chips or crackers. This is another golden opportunity for you to pack in more tasty nutrition and watch your kid’s focus, memory, and learning flourish. You can find a variety of healthy snack

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options on my website, holleygrainger.com.

5. Don’t forget dessert! Here’s my take: When I fill my girls’ lunchboxes with roast beef, avocados, roasted chickpeas, pepper strips, and other powerpacked foods, there is room for a little treat. I like tucking in something now and then and imagining their smiles. Will they gobble it first? Wait and savor it? Learning isn’t just about history, reading, or math. It’s also about discovering a balanced approach to nourishing our bodies and still enjoying the fun and delicious foods of the world. That’s a big lesson from a little bit of chocolate. Muffins also make a marvelous dessert or snack (search “Blueberry Lemon Mini Oatmeal Muffins on my website). For a no-cook sweet that doubles as a lunchtime treat or a fun breakfast, try Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bites or Sweet and Salty Dark Chocolate Bark; both recipes are available on my website.

Just Add Dip. I’m often called out by parents questioning how I can label a lunchbox as “healthy” when it has ranch dressing in it. I always respond the same way, saying that if a little bit of ranch means that my child will use it as a dip for grilled chicken, lettuce, carrots, and cucumbers, then I’m totally fine with it because they otherwise wouldn’t have eaten those foods. Identify “vehicle foods” like this (ketchup, hummus, guacamole, etc.) and don’t be ashamed to include them in a lunchbox. Better dipped than

Try other Vehicle Foods. For some picky eaters, it’s all about the texture. For others it’s the taste (especially bitter tastes, which are stronger on young taste buds). Some foods are great at hiding foods with rejected tastes or textures. If your kid loves soup, spaghetti, muffins or smoothies, see if you can puree, chop, or otherwise tuck in fruits, veggies or even proteins that they otherwise wouldn’t eat. A quarter avocado slides right into a berry smoothie almost undetected, upping the healthy fats in a picky eater’s diet.

Let Your Child Choose. Sure, if it were up to my children they would have chips, cookies and maybe some strawberries for lunch every day. As a mom and dietitian, I know that they aren’t going to get the fuel they need when they aren’t eating a balanced meal. However, that doesn’t mean that your child still can’t help, regardless of their age. For younger children, go through each food group and give options…Cheese, yogurt or both? Turkey or ham? Carrots, peppers, or celery? Ranch, hummus or guacamole? For your older kiddos, let them use meal planning apps to help them choose. And let them help! Some kids feel more ownership of their eating if they’ve been allowed to plan, prep and package their own lunches. So let them get in the kitchen as much as is practical. This can be even easier if you prepare lunches the night before.