Tips for Nutritious School Lunches

For sandwich variety, try various types of breads, pita, bagels, tortillas, flat bread and crackers. Gradually move toward whole grain foods if they are new to your child. New varieties of whole grain bread are lighter in color and texture and may appeal to children.

To pack a nutritional punch in sandwich spreads (such as tuna fish, egg salad, and even reduced-fat cream cheese), add finely minced (food processor works great) carrots and celery.

When including lettuce leaves (the darker the better!) and/or tomato slices for sandwiches, pack them separate from the sandwich so it does not get soggy by the time lunchtime rolls around.

Peanut butter is a quick, easy, healthful (in moderation), and popular sandwich choice. Use whole grain bread, and add sliced banana, fruit preserves, or honey and a thin slice of Muenster, Monterey Jack, or mozzarella cheese to your child’s favorite peanut butter. (Check that your child’s school does not have a peanut butter ban in place due to allergies.)

At the grocery store, let your children pick out fresh fruits and veggies for their lunch boxes – a great time to teach them about buying “in season” and buying locally (where possible).

Include a small bag or plastic container of one or more cut up fresh vegetables in your child’s lunch box. Veggies that travel well include carrots, celery sticks, whole string beans, bell pepper slices (red, yellow and orange varieties are great, but usually expensive), grape or cherry tomatoes (fruits that we eat as vegetables), and pea pods. A separate container of low-fat dressing may be included if your child likes it.

Include low-fat or fat-free milk in your child’s lunch box, preferably in a reusable plastic container. You can freeze a half-full container of milk overnight and fill it with cold milk in the morning. The frozen milk will keep the food safe until lunchtime.

Buy a few plastic containers to use for fresh veggies, berries, dried fruit, milk, juice, and other take-along foods for lunch boxes. They are reusable and help teach the value of preserving our resources.

Purchase a variety of healthy breakfast bars that contain at least three grams of fiber and that are low in fat. Include one of these bars in your child’s lunch box some days. Your child can eat it as an extra treat during lunch, or keep it for a snack later in the day.

If your children purchase school lunches, ask them occasionally what they selected at school that day. Asking casually will help you avoid a confrontation, although if they are choosing pizza, French fries, and a sweet drink every day, you may have some cause for concern!

Find out what foods your child’s school cafeteria serves. If you are not satisfied with the foods available to your child, get involved in the school’s wellness council or other group that can affect policy.

Additional Resources

Note: These resources contain links to Web sites created and maintained by other private and public organizations. UF/IFAS provides these links as a service to our users; the presence of a link does not indicate endorsement of all materials and views found on these Web sites.

National School Lunch Program Web site

School Lunches, KidsHealth

Back to School Lunchbox Makeovers, Center for Science in the Public Interest

Written by: Linda Bobroff, Ph.D., RD, LD/N, Professor, Food and Nutrition

Snack Attacks

A Snack Attack is likely to hit as soon as children get home from school. Plan and have ready-to-eat foods that fit into a healthy eating plan. This means plan snacks that help get the recommended daily amounts from each of the main food groups:

• Grains
• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Milk
• Meat and Beans Group

Let us think about some snack ideas from the Fruit Group.

Most people need to eat more fruit, especially whole fruit or cut-up fruit. MyPyramid recommends whole fruit instead of fruit juice for most of your fruit choices. Whole or cut up fruit provides fiber in addition to the vitamins and minerals found in fruit juice.

Try these ideas:

• Fresh fruit available in the crisper in the refrigerator
  • Grapes, kiwi, plums, peaches, pears, strawberries, or tangerines
• Fresh fruit available in a bowl on the table or counter
  • Apples, bananas, nectarines, oranges, pears
• Fresh fruit already cut-up and available in the refrigerator
  • Cantaloupe, mangos, or pineapple
  • Always keep cut fruit in the refrigerator
• Single servings of fruit created at home and refrigerated in individual containers.
  • This could be a mixture of fresh, dried, canned and/or frozen fruit.
• Single servings of fruit purchased in cans, cartons, or plastic containers.
  • Applesauce, apple chunks, peaches, raisins, pineapple or mixed fruit
• Single servings of dried fruit, divided at home, or purchased in individual packages:
  • Apples, apricots, peaches, raisins, or plums.
• Chilled fruit salad as a special treat. Have it waiting in the refrigerator!
  • Remember: always keep cut fruit refrigerated.

These are just a few of the many ideas that you can consider. Think about your budget, schedule and nutritional needs of your children to plan a snack idea. Remember, ideas for health wise snacks also include food choices that help get the daily-recommended amounts from the other major food groups as well. The main idea is to have available those foods that help your children to get the best nutrition.

Submitted by: Glenda Warren, Associate Professor, Foods and Nutrition/EFNEP