by Associate Clinician Christa Haines
Packing a healthy lunch for your child is one thing; to have them eat it is another! There are ways to make healthy lunches exciting and delicious for your kids.
If your child helps you pick things out at the store, they are more excited to eat it. Also, allowing them to help make a snack or even help to prepare their lunch is helpful! Many healthy snacks can be frozen for later use. Keep in mind what fellow classmates are eating. There are ways to replicate them with a healthier version. Most kids will not be happy if they open their lunch box to all veggies and fruit, while their neighbor has a lot of snacks and sprinkles pouring out of their lunch box.
Try sitting down and asking your child what they think would be healthy options to pack. When making a dinner they like, it is helpful to make plenty for leftovers as a possibility. Some leftover ideas are: chicken salad, tuna salad, chili, beef barbecue, or a casserole dish.
When packing your child’s lunch box, try to make it colorful. Add a little note inside every now and then. Use a colorful and fun water bottle. Cut up veggies early in the week to be added later.
Here are some lunch ideas:
- Organic cheese stick
- Ants on a log
- Cut veggies with hummus or guacamole (these can be found in mini packs at large warehouse stores like Costco)
- Air popped pop-corn flavored with butter and cinnamon or whatever your kids might enjoy
- Fruit – try cutting it in fun shapes!
- Vegetable and/or fruit with cheese on a shish Kabob stick
- Raw cheese and rice crackers such as Nut Thins
- Pinwheel sandwiches made out of rice wraps – just add whatever sandwich toppings they like and roll them up and slice
- Homemade trail mix with raw nuts and goji berries
- Plain yogurt like Fage or Greek Gods, with a little honey or maple syrup and fruit
- Apple sandwiches – these are large thin slices of apples with almond or peanut butter in between
- Snack packs of rice crackers
Want more ideas? There are plenty additional ideas online, especially on Pinterest!
Christa Haines, NTP
Christa is an Associate Clinician at the Well of Life Center for Natural Health. The Well of Life Center is a holistic wellness center that specializes in nutrition, chiropractic, massage services, and more. Celebrating their 10th year in business, the Well of Life Center has locations in Doylestown, Bethlehem, and Ottsville, PA. For more information, please visit welloflifecenter.com.