Lunch for little ones

This is a major challenge for children and parents. Children want treats that let them blend in with their friends. Parents want something healthy their child will actually eat and that doesn’t take forever to prepare.

Check out my 3 part post below! 

• Part I: Understanding school lunch
  
• Part II: What is takes to make a "good lunch"
• Part III: Planning lunches

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PART I: School lunch -friend or foe?

While the school lunch is a decent option in some areas, it’s not ideal for every child. Consider the following: 

1.) Every child has different health needs. School lunches are designed to be kid friendly dishes that provide 30% of a child’s calorie needs for the day (see chart below). The meals are relatively low in sodium and saturated fat (CLICK HERE to learn more).  The challenge is that many children are not nutritionally dependent upon the school lunch - they eat a full breakfast, lunch, and a multitude of snacks in the evening hours before and after dinner. In the end, the school lunch is rarely what "breaks" a child's nutrition

2.) They have very tight budget ($2-3 dollars/ student) so they often have to rely on subsidized foods in order to make a dollar stretch. So this may change the quality of the foods used (CLICK HERE to learn more)

3.) They have to please a wide variety of taste preferences. This is a big challenge. I’ll give you an example. The Cambridge Food Service system has done an amazing job offering lots of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins. But I hear complaints from children because they don’t like the foods - "too many vegetables" or "the pizza crust is whole wheat." In short, it’s too different from what they eat at home and have grown accustomed to. So they skip lunch (and arrive home starving) or grab food from a local shop (typically fried / snacks)

4.) Every family has a different definition of health.  On the flip side, I have families complaining that the foods aren’t “healthy enough” because the foods aren’t organic, there’s “too much cheese” (eg, pizza was on the menu), foods are canned, etc. 

​With all that being said, here are two common problems we work on solving in appointments: 

Scenario 1:  The child loves the school food but the parent/guardian doesn’t approve. ​
The well meaning parent gives the child breakfast at home and packs a wonderful lunch...and then the child either eats at home AND at school (resulting in double breakfast and lunches) OR they trade their lunch for a hot lunch.

Scenario 2:  The child doesn’t like the school food but doesn’t have food packed from home (or doesn’t like what’s packed). They end up skipping meals and arrive home starving then subsequently snack / eat all evening. 

PART II: What's a parent to do? 

When you are trying to solve the school lunch dilemma, keep the following tips in mind: 

Start with a conversation. Ultimately, you are in charge of what's packed for your child's lunch. It's up to them whether or not to eat it. To increase the chance they actually eat it, talk with your child about their taste and social preferences. Please don't ask your child "what do you want to eat." Likely, it won't be the answer that you want to hear. Instead, offer a few choices (eg, "do you want yogurt or fruit?"). It can be a helpful exercise to sit down together and list out your favorite foods and categorize them by food groups. Then when you're packing lunches you can quickly put together a fruit, dairy, and a protein that they're sure to enjoy. 

It needs to be filling. Typically, a person will eat to fill their stomach. How you choose to fill that space can make a big difference. It’s best to fill most of the stomach with fruits and / or vegetables. But fruits and vegetables alone won’t keep you full for long or satisfy you. That’s where the next step comes in. 

Please keep in mind that snack foods are not very filling! It takes a lot of crackers, cookies, smart food, gummy snacks, and/or pirate’s booty to fill a stomach! ​

It needs to be satisfying. A food that is satisfying keeps the stomach fuller, longer. Satisfaction can refer to the chemistry of the food and how long it takes to digest. Typically this means protein rich foods (eggs, chicken, turkey, tuna, yogurt) - these keep the stomach fuller, the longest. Next comes healthy fats (nuts, avocado). Finally, whole grains (whole wheat bread, beans, whole wheat pasta, quinoa, brown rice, etc). While whole great are really healthy, they are digested pretty quickly compared to protein and fat. So if the meal is mostly pasta and vegetables with a side of fruit, the poor kid is going to be starving soon! 

A peanut butter sandwich is a relatively small volume of food that won’t fill a child’s stomach for long. Instead, consider packing a meat based sandwich to keep them fuller, longer (see below) 

However there is also a social/emotional component to satisfaction. Sometimes “healthy foods” - even when they’re the perfect chemistry -- aren’t satisfying because a key component is missing such as a certain taste or texture. For example, sometimes the crunch and sweet/saltiness of a small bag of chips or a few cookies are “enough” to make someone feel like they can stop eating. This is highly individual!

It needs to be kid friendly (and time friendly). This is a big one and a challenge. It needs to fit your kid’s developmental and social needs. Also, sometimes having the same food (but in a fun / unique shape) is enough to get a kid interested in food. A wrap might be too big for a 1st grader’s mouth, but pin-wheel sushi might just the ticket. ​ 

​The actual amount of time that kids have for lunch varies greatly. If they have 30 minutes for lunch but have to walk to the cafeteria (5 minutes), settle in (5 minutes) warm up their food (5 minutes) and then get to class after lunch (5 minute) they only have 10 minutes to actually eat (and talk with friends - an important part of lunch!). If they have to stab at lettuce because you packed a salad, it's going to take forever and likely won't get finished. 

It needs to be easy to eat, quickly. Kids don’t have much time for lunch these days. The entire lunch space might be 30-45 minutes (on a good day). But kids need time to find a table, settle in, warm up food, and socialize (an important aspect of eating!!). If they have a dish that requires a lot of complicated effort, it won’t get finished. 

Consider eating a salad vs a wrap filled with vegetables. To eat a salad you have to spear everything and eat fork by fork and chew a lot. While it’s a very healthy food, takes a lot of time! If you put that salad into a wrap or pita pocket, it becomes much easier to eat. ​

Remember their preferences will change. The foods they loved this month will likely change next month. They might grow tired of the same foods and/or they might see their friends with something they want to try. But just because they won't eat it now, doesn't mean they won't like it again in the future. Keep a running list of what's worked in the past - you can always go back to it. 

Avoid judgement. Telling a child that pizza is unhealthy and they can’t have, likely won’t stop them from eating it. But it will encourage the child to hide the fact that they ate pizza to avoid upsetting you / getting scolded… The best way you can help your child eat healthy is to stop labeling their food “good” and “bad” and instead help them balance the types of food they eat and recognize the source of their hunger (more on this in another blog post).  

PART III: What to pack

When it comes to the details of exactly "what" to pack, the general formula is to "fill up" on fruits and vegetables then add a protein / fat and a small portion of starch. If your child is more active, up the starch content a bit. Include 1 "snack" food that the child loves if they want it. But please don't pack multiple snack foods - your child will likely eat them first and they won't keep your child full for long. 

If your child doesn't like hot lunch...Make the process simple for yourself. You do not have to pack a unique lunch every day! Consider outlining 2-3 lunch ideas for the week - pack each 1-2x. Done.

If your child loves hot lunch (but you don't)...look at the menu together. Decide which days to have hot lunch and which days to pack something from home.

At the end of the day...ask your child if lunch worked for them. Do your best to avoid risky questions like "did you eat?" or "did you like it?" The child knows the correct answer is "yes" and they'll probably get in trouble if they say no.  But at the end of the day, we all want to make sure our child is fed and happy. 

Sushi Roll Ups
whole grain tortilla / pita + turkey / chicken + lettuce. Roll up and cut into sushi bites

Pasta Salad
Pulled chicken + pasta + chickpeas + Italian dressing + cherry tomatoes

Fruit and Yogurt Parfait
​1 cup yogurt + 1-2 cups frozen fruit (or fresh)
1/2 cup cereal

Pita Pocket Dippers
hummus + peppers + cucumbers + carrots + slices of pita

Quesadilla
Make a quesadilla (tortillas + chicken + spinach + beans) and include salsa for dipping

Peanut Butter Banana Roll Up
Slather peanut butter on a tortilla and add a banana. Roll up and cut into sushi bites. Include a yogurt for more filling power. 

Mini Crustless Quiche
​egg + ham + cheese baked in muffin tins

Pizza Quesadillas
​tortilla + cheese + pizza sauce + peppers toasted on a skillet

Here are some of my favorite school lunch articles:
Food | Parenting | kitchn |
Chop Chop Magazine

10 Sandwich Free Lunch Idea by Kitchn (click on image for link)