By Marianna Duba, Holistic Nutritionist
As a mother of two (already grown-up) boys, I had to face the everlasting question at the beginning of each school year: What am I going to pack for lunch to school? I wanted to fill their lunch bags with nutritious food that would provide energy throughout the day, enhance concentration and strengthen their immune system not to catch every bug that came around. This was a difficult task which required careful planning and quite some time, so I felt frustrated when my delicious healthy food often returned home untouched. Today, I would like to share what I have learned, what worked for me during all those years and my basic guideline for putting together my family’s lunches-to-go these days.
- My favourite choice is to use dinner leftovers for next day’s lunches. In fact, when I start cooking supper, I always keep in mind that some of it should serve for a meal next day. I re-heat soups, stews, chilli, stir-fries and pack these in a thermos. This type of lunch is particularly appropriate for the always hungry pre-teens and teenagers who require not only nutrients but calorie-dense meals to keep up with their active lifestyle.
- Chicken and other meat leftovers serve for preparing sandwiches and wraps along with various cut-up vegetables (lots!). For a meat-free lunch, I suggest using beans, lentils or tofu as the main protein-providing ingredient. I also like to alternate gluten-containing and gluten-free grains so it is good to regularly look for different brands of breads, buns, tortillas, pita pockets. Wraps can also be assembled by using lettuce leaves or rice paper instead of wheat tortillas. To add a twist, classic mayo can be replaced by hummus, guacamole, pesto, dijon mustard or even Greek yogurt. Wraps and sandwiches are easy lunch choices because they are quick to assemble and versatile (by using ingredients that you have in your fridge at the moment).
- Younger kids love cut-up foods, so anything you pack will more likely be eaten if it is in bite-size pieces. They will enjoy mini-pitas or wraps in small pieces held together with a toothpick. Foods in different shapes are popular and easy to make by using cookie cutters. Children also like ready-to-eat cut-up veggies with dip (the dip is essential, without it you will likely be saying welcome back to your vegetables in the afternoon), hard-boiled eggs and yogurt / cottage cheese. To reduce my kids’ table sugar consumption, I opted for plain yogurt which I flavoured myself by adding a touch of maple syrup or honey, some kind of fresh fruit, cinnamon or cocoa powder, hemp or chia seeds, depending what is on hand.
- For snacks, I always sent fruits. They are naturally sweet, so kids like them but most importantly, they contain vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and fibre that are missing from store-bought processed snack foods. The boys’ containers filled with slices of an apple or pear, wedges of an orange or tangerine, cut-up watermelon, cantaloupe or berries, always returned home empty. I also liked to offer a mix of nuts and seeds for snacking, however their elementary school required nut-free meals, so I could only sprinkle some seeds on their wraps, sandwiches, salads or yogurt.
- Peer pressure was a challenge! I was always “informed” who had the best candy or sweet treat that day. Despite that, I held my ground still, kept store-bought sweets out of their lunch boxes (with some rare exceptions) and sent them homemade muffins, energy balls or other goodies instead. These had previously been made in large batches and then frozen in single servings. This way, I not only satisfied the boys’ palate, but also made sure that they ate a healthier version of popular foods (sweet potato or pumpkin muffins; carrot, coconut or cranberry energy balls; etc.).
- An essential part of my boys’ lunch bags were their stainless steel bottles filled with filtered water as proper hydration is vital. Although many parents like to provide fruit juices as an alternative for sodas, I avoid recommending these types of drinks. In my opinion, most fruit drinks on the market cannot be considered as healthy beverages due to their high sugar (especially fructose) and artificial additive content. For picky eaters who refuse to drink plain water, flavour it with a few berries, wedges of tangerine or small chunks of pineapple which will add some natural sweetness.
- Keep food safety in mind! Vinyl lunch bags need to be regularly cleaned with warm soapy water and dried completely. Any perishable food items, refrigerated overnight, should be packed with a cold pack to prevent spoilage. Hot foods can be placed into a thermos which has been already warmed up with boiling water.
For more tips and additional information on children’s nutrition, please join our seminar Back to School – Healthy Nutrition in the Lunch Box at Goodness Me in Waterloo on September 15, 2016 at 6:30pm.