Without you realizing it, your child has a lot of control over what they eat for lunch at school. Whether you pack a lunch for them, or they bring the tray from the cafeteria what stays in front of them and what ends up in the trash is truly their decision. I used to think that cafeteria lunches were the easiest option (for me) until I went for lunch with my son in elementary school.
What I saw on the tray was not the most appetizing meal, sure it had some nutritional value (the pizza was on whole wheat crust) but I was appalled watching almost every single one of the children throw away the fruit on their tray. Why? Because served with today's lunch was an orange.
Not cut, not peeled, just an orange.What is an elementary school child to do with this? I watched some bite into it, grimacing at the sour taste, while others just rolled it on the table in front of them. So I decided, I had to make something they would actually eat. How do you determine what a child will eat at lunch?
1. It has to be easy. Lunch time for children is a socialization time. Their mind is not focused on their food, it is free talking with their buddies! Make sure everything in the lunch box is a no brainer, easy to open, something they don't have to look at and wonder what it is.
2. Make it edible. If you are adding an apple, take a minute at home cutting it up. This makes it easier during lunch time, most children do not have the attention span of eating an entire apple. I usually cut half for the lunchbox, half for me. That way the entire apple is eaten. Melons should be cut into bitesize chunks, packing the silverware does not mean they will use it, smaller chunks keep chins and such from getting sticky when biting into a larger piece of fruit.
3. Crusts or to not crust the sandwich. There was a 2002 study stating that the cancer fighting antioxidants baked into bread were 8 times greater in the crust, then there was my mother saying "If I ate the crust my hair would turn curly." Just remember, if your child does not like the crust, leaving it on means they will take two to three bites of the INSIDE of the sandwich leaving the rest, cutting the crust means the entire sandwich is eaten. Or, if there isn't a crust debate in your home, don't even start one, leave the crust on.
4. Watch your sugar. Most times, the largest amount of sugar in the lunchbox is in the drink. Many schools do not allow soft drinks in lunches, but watch the sugars of non carbonated drinks. Remember that some energy drinks contain caffeine and sugar, meant to be used during or after a workout, not when sitting and eating lunch. One of the easiest things to get down my children is the flavored water, the best would be just water, but we're still working on that battle. One of the benefits of the cafeteria is fresh milk daily, another great choice for your child.
5. Make it fun. I've seen to the completely off the board healthy lunches, where every child is looking in the box saying, "What is that?" Don't single your child out with an over the top lunch, they may not eat it because of the ribbing from friends. I'm not saying to not have fun. My one son loves sushi, so one morning I tossed that in his lunch! He came home from school laughing at all his friends "ewwing" that he was eating fish!
6. Add in the tradable. Some schools do not allow trading items from lunch boxes but if yours does, I always add in the small sweet "tradable" treat. If you have the time, make those chocolate chip cookies at home with your child, if you can't add in something small and sweet - gummies, cookies, cake. This is a fun time of lunch when everyone evaluates what the other has and in some cases, trades around.
7. Your thermos is your lifeline. Most children will eat sandwiches, but consider the benefit of investing in a nice thermos. Anything left over from dinner can be lunch the next day. Monday is my soup making day, I'll make two types of soups and put them in the thermos during the week Sometimes if I have nothing in the house, I can heat up a frozen meal (my children like chicken fried rice) and throw that in the thermos. The only problem I have with thermoses is when they are forgotten at school for a week and of course I'm in charge of the hazmat material.
Finally, if you want, leave them that note of encouragement. Most elementary school children love finding a note in their lunch box, Middle and High School they say they don't, but I beg to differ. I misspelled a word on a joke I wrote on a note and my High Schooler called me on it!
Remember, lunch is the middle refueling of your child's airplane, make good choices and they will fly through the second half of their day with a full tank!
Wow! That's great stuff. All this time, I thought they were just getting table scraps. Great writing Baby and an inspiration to parents everywhere!
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