Healthy School Lunches
It’s back-to-school time and for many, that means back-to-packing-lunch time. Parents, you can help your kids succeed in school with a good nutritious lunch. Studies show that kids who eat well do better in school, have higher test scores and less behavioral problems. A good, nutrient filled lunch can fuel your kids through all their afternoon activities.
To pack a healthy lunch, choose a variety of foods from the Food Guide Pyramid. A good lunch should have three to four of the food groups represented.
- Grains Group — whole grain or enriched breads, whole-wheat crackers, baked tortilla chips, pretzels, graham crackers, oatmeal-raisin cookies and fig cookies.
- Fruit Group — all fruits are good for you. Serve a variety of colors and types, like fresh, dried, no-sugar-added fruit cups and applesauce, and 100% fruit juice.
- Vegetable Group — any vegetable your kids will eat will do. Some kid-friendly veggies include baby carrots, grape tomatoes and raw sugar snap peas.
- Meat & Beans — choose low-fat or fat-free brands of turkey breast, chicken breast, ham, bologna and roast beef. Boiled eggs, peanut butter and nuts are also good sources of protein.
- Milk Group — skim or 1% milk, cheese, string cheese, yogurt cups and tubes, and reduced-fat pudding cups.
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