Packing A Healthy School Lunch Is Important!

Packing a healthy school lunch for your kids will help them get the nutrients they need to function in school at their best, nourish growth, and feel emotionally and energetically balanced throughout the day. Healthy school lunch ideas focus on whole foods and minimize processed foods. Lunches typically provided by schools lack in nutrition as well so if your kids are on the school lunch plan, you may want to reconsider.

Here are some healthy substitutions for commonly used lunch foods:

• Instead of a sandwich with meat, try organic, nitrate free deli meat, like Applegate Farms, rolled up and skip the bread. Applegate farms meat can also be purchased from the deli counter chopped in cubes. Leftover meat from dinner is always easy too, and less processed!
• Instead of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with bread, try making it with two protein packed waffles or pancakes or use paleo-style bread that has more protein and fiber.
• Instead of flavored chips or corn chips, try organic veggie sticks with humus or guacamole, veggie chips, organic kettle potato chips, or freeze dried fruit chips.
• Instead of gummy fruit snacks, try cut up organic fruit. Dried fruit can be used too, but still has a high amount of sugar and sticks to the teeth.
• Instead of grain based crackers (like wheat or rice crackers), try almond flour crackers.
• Instead of cheese, try nuts, seeds, trail mixes, or beef jerky made from 100% grass fed cattle.
• Instead of high sugar granola bars, try homemade protein bars that are loaded with only healthy ingredients and are high in protein and fiber.
• If you like to pack a desert, pack some fruit or a paleo style treat.

If you would like additional healthy school lunch ideas or individualized nutrition recommendations to optimize school performance, please contact me. Nutrition is an important part of my practice and I would be happy to work with you help your kids achieve optimal health and feel their best with food!