Tips for Packing a Healthy School Lunch

TIPS FOR HEALTHY UNCH PACKING A INCORPORATE ALL SCHOOL FOOD GROUPS A balanced diet includes all of the food groups. Use MyPlate as a visual to help you structure what should go into your child's lunch. Luckily, there are so many different ways to enjoy each food group. GET THE KIDS INVOLVED ENCOURAGE HYDRATION FRUIT Fresh, frozen, dried, canned, baked (think apple chips!) or pureed. Give your kids healthy food options from each food group and let them make the final decisions on what goes in their lunch. It's recommended that school-aged kids drink between 6-8 cups of water a day (even more in hot weather or if their activity level is high). Take your child grocery shopping with you and let them have a say (to a certain extent) in CRACKERS what goes into the cart. This promotes feelings Let your child pick out their favorite water bottle and encourage them to drink the whole thing at least twice at school. They'll be more inclined to do it if they feel like they are completing a challenge! VEGETABLES CRACKERS Fresh, frozen, or baked (think kale chips!) of responsibility and ment. Designate a part of your kitchen as the "lunch packing station" and spend some time there with your kids the night before to get lunch ready for the next day. If the "flavor" of water is too boring for them, throw in a few pieces of frozen fruit to sweeten it up and keep it cooler. LEAN PROTEIN Baked chicken, deli meats, hard boiled eggs, beans or nuts (make sure you're aware of nut allergy regulations at your child's school). TURN HEALTHY FOODS INTO FUN FOODS MAKE YOUR OWN SNACKS & LIMIT PROCESSED ONES Use cookie cutters to Kids rely on snacks to keep their energy up, but the type of snack is important to consider. Packaged snacks tend to lack important nutrients and can be high in sugar, sodium and saturated fats. Take control of what is in your kids' snacks by making them yourself! make shapes out of bread, deli meat, cheese, or a melon-baller for fruit. LOW-FAT DAIRY Milk, cheese or yogurt. NO BAKE ENERGY BITES ANTS ON A LOG FRUIT LEATHERS Use kid-friendly skewers to make colorful food O kebabs. WHOLE GRAINS Pita, sandwich bread, tortillas, wraps, and pastas. YOGURT COVERED RAISINS Create a lunch theme for the day and have all of the foods in their lunch relate to the theme (i.e. pirate theme, rainbow theme, etc). COOKSMARTS helping home cooks live happier, simpler, smarter in the kitchen