How to Put Health Back Into Your Child’s Lunches

Are you struggling to find healthy lunch options for your kids?  Do they turn their noses up at any food you offer that has good nutrition?  The best option might just be to let them decide what’s for lunch – and then make it healthy for them!  What can you do that will increase the nutritional value of your kids’ choices?

PB&J
Few lunch options top the humble peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  While this is not necessarily unhealthy on its own, you can boost the healthiness here.  Choose to use whole wheat bread, and opt for organic jelly and peanut butter that can be found at health food stores like Trader Joes.

Fish Sticks
Most kids love crunchy fish sticks.  However, they’re certainly not healthy when you deep fry them.  While they might taste great, you need a better lunch option.  Instead of frying them, pop them in the oven and bake them for a great lunch option.  You’ll find that they still taste great and have lots of crunch, but are healthier for your kids.

Add Some Fruit
Lunch is a smaller meal, but you can still add some fruit to your main dish.  Apples, bananas, grapes and many other fruits are nutritious, easy to handle and portable for convenience.  Make sure that you choose organic fruit, though, to avoid problems with pesticides.

Cut the Fat
If your kids opt for lunch meat, then you should make sure that you use lean, deli cut meat, and low fat mayonnaise.  You might also consider using a low fat cheese, as well. Trim off all visible fat and skip the butter to avoid fatty, soggy sandwiches