How to Pack Winning School Lunches

Healthy lifelong nutrition habits begin in childhood. If you pack lunch for your school-age child each day, it’s important to include a variety of healthy foods. When children eat well, they do better in school – focusing longer, concentrating more, and behaving better. Sending your child to school with a healthy lunch can help them learn well and be happier and more energetic throughout the day. Here are some things to keep in mind when planning your child’s school lunches.

Make time to prepare in advance

Plan so you’ll have the things on hand you need to put together healthy lunches throughout the week. Make sure to buy fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grain bread and crackers, and milk and yogurt. Cut up the veggies as appropriate in advance to make it faster and easier to pack lunchboxes on rushed weekday mornings.

Look for sales and seasonal foods to save money

Healthy eating doesn’t have to break the bank. When you buy fruits and veggies in season, you’ll pay less and find better-quality foods. You can also look for special deals that save you money. Build your lunchbox menus around what’s in season and on sale, and you’ll spend far less over the course of the school year.

Prepare snacks yourself

Beware of single-serving and processed snack foods, which often aren’t very healthy. Instead, buy fresh ingredients in bulk, and divide them up yourself into small containers. This not only saves money but also ensures that every bite that goes into your child’s mouth is as nutritious as possible.

Choose the perfect beverage

There’s nothing you can add to your child’s lunchbox that’s as important as a bottle of water. Other beverages such as juice and soft drinks contain large amounts of sugar, providing too many calories and harming your child’s teeth. Include a bottle of water with each lunch for healthy hydration and good habit-building.

You can do your child a huge favour by ensuring their lunch is as healthy as possible with a variety of whole, fresh foods.