Use MyPyramid to Pack a Healthy Lunch
Kalamazoo, Mich.- There is research to support it–children who eat well do better in school. If you have school-aged children, chances are you pack them a lunch several times a week. Packing a lunch is a good way to provide a healthy meal for your child. Packing a healthy lunch is easy when you use the MyPyramid food guide to help you!
Are you looking for ideas on how to make your child’s lunches more healthful? Try these suggestions from MyPyramid:
- Pack calcium-rich foods. Many children don’t consume the recommended two to three cups of dairy foods each day. Encourage your child to buy milk at school or pack one of the low-fat flavored milks in their lunchbox. Remember, it doesn’t have to be milk to count as a dairy food. Yogurt, pudding made with low-fat milk or string cheese count, too.
- Focus on whole fruits. Fresh fruits such as apples, oranges and pears are loaded with fiber, vitamins and minerals. They also travel well and are easy for children to eat. (Remember to wash fruit before packing it.) Buy fresh fruit when it’s in season to avoid paying high prices. Other options are to pack dried fruits such as raisins mixed with cereal and/or nuts. If your child has loose teeth or braces, they may need fruit that is easy to bite and chew. Try bananas, cut melon, canned applesauce or fruit packs. Pack 100 percent juice (six to eight ounces) such as orange, apple, grape or tomato less often. All these fruit options are nutritious and portable.
- Vary their veggies. Add vegetables such as spinach, tomato, sliced cucumbers or peppers to sandwiches. Fresh vegetables taste better to some children when they are cold and served with a dip. Pack carrots, celery sticks or pepper slices with a container of peanut butter, low-fat ranch dressing or salsa for dipping.
- Pack nutritious treats. If your child is used to having a “sweet treat” every day, pack a treat that is also healthy for them. Pack a small fruit muffin, a fruit yogurt, a box of raisins or graham crackers. Snacks “fill in the gaps” and provide needed energy and nutrition growing children need.
- Remember food safety. Foods that can easily spoil—such as leftovers, soups, meats, eggs, dairy and chopped vegetables—should be kept cold. Pack an icepack to keep foods from spoiling and decrease the risk of getting sick from food-related germs. You can also keep foods cold for three to five hours by freezing part of the lunch, such as yogurt, pudding, applesauce or a juice box and packing it next to the perishable food right before your child leaves for school.
Remember, lunch is a very important meal. Pack a healthy lunch for your child using MyPyramid as a guide. Your child needs to eat lunch at school for energy to learn and play for the rest of the day. School lunches (lunches provided by the school) are also a healthy and low-cost option. If you would like to know if your child is eligible to receive free or reduced-price school meals, contact the school food-service director or your school principal.
For more information on this topic and other issues on parenting, money management, food, nutrition or health issues, contact the Kalamazoo County Extension Office at (269) 383-8830. MSU Extension Family and Consumer Science educators are located in all 83 counties to integrate university and community resources to help families succeed.
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MSU Extension is an Affirmative-Action Equal-Opportunity Institution. Michigan State University Extension programs and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, or family status.
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