Ready, Set, PACK!

With the sound of school bells in the air, this also means packing lunches; a dreaded task by many caregivers.

Just like figuring out what to have for dinner each night, it becomes a tad easier with a bit of a plan and some help.

Here are 3 tips to go from loathing to loving tolerating packing school lunches. That’s your first tip…

#1 Be Realistic.

Pinterest boards and Mommy bloggers everywhere are going to convince you that the success of a school lunch comes in the shape of a Bento Box and carrots cut into the shape of a swan. It doesn’t. School lunch success comes from your heart. And wanting your kid to have enough to eat in the 17 minutes they’re allotted for lunch to: 1. Nourish their brain 2. Not tick off their teachers by eating too much sugar. No matter what you pack, they’ll come home starving. That’s ok. And normal.

Ask yourself: Would this food make me sleepy? Or give me long lasting energy? If it gives you energy or zaps you of it, it will do the same for your child.

#2 Pack Protein.

It doesn’t have to be in sandwich form, crusts or no crusts, but protein is essential for growing bodies and brains. The average elementary school aged child needs around 19 grams of protein per day, 35-50 grams for a middle-schooler. Your high school student needs are going to be very individualized but most will need more. (They also can pack their own lunches. That’s ok too.)  Since this is a daily need, shoot for a protein serving that has 5-10g for your younger kids, double that for the bigs. This means 1 tube of Gogurt might not make the cut at 2 grams per tube, but string cheese will. As will 1 hardboiled egg, 1 ounce of turkey or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter at 7 grams.

Ask yourself: Where’s the protein? How much? Is that enough?

#3 Ditch the Sugar (and Dyes).

Ultra processed food has become the new norm in school lunch bags across the US. With so many individually packaged cute snacks and treats it’s so easy to toss a “fruit” roll-up in there and voila, lunch is complete. But that one fruit roll-up has 7 grams of added sugar, which is TWICE of what is recommended for our elementary students for the WHOLE DAY! Let alone, 3 different food dyes (red, yellow and blue!). That’s just in one treat. Our kids are inundated with treats, whether it’s from a school celebration, post soccer game, or just visiting grandma’s house. They don’t need it in their lunch, drink boxes included. Trust me, your kid’s teacher will thank you 10 times over.

Ask yourself #1: Is Red No. 40, Yellow No.5 or No.6 listed in the ingredients? (by the way, these are the ones that are banned in Europe too)

Ask yourself #2: Is there more than 4 grams of sugar per serving? By the way, 4 grams of sugar equals 1 teaspoon.

Your child may not understand why you do the things you do as a parent, but their bodies and brains will thank you. Happy Packing!