How do you prep your kids’ lunches to keep them wholesome and healthy?
The back-to-school season is full of preparation: buying school supplies, getting organized for classes, and the ever stressful process of packing lunches for your children. While fruit snacks, candy bars and other packaged, processed snacks are convenient to throw in the lunch bag, there are easy ways to make healthy substitutions and ensure that your kids are growing up healthy and strong.
Here are some of our tips on how to pack healthy lunches and snacks just in time for the back-to-school season:
- Focus on the natural. It’s safe to say that avoiding processed foods as much as you can is a good start to eating healthy – same goes for packing lunches. Processed foods can lead to blood sugar spikes, which can lead to sleepiness and drowsiness (not ideal for the all the exciting activities of the back-to-school season!). Focus instead on the whole, natural foods – fruits and vegetables are always a good start. Try packing some baby carrots, celery, grapes, apples, or clementines. If your kid is finicky with vegetables, sneak them in: think a pre-packaged veggie smoothie, for example.
- Buy what you can easily grab and throw in a bag. The easier, the better. While grocery shopping, make sure you’re buying foods that are not only healthy, but easy for you to pack. In the rush of the back-to-school season, no one wants to spend hours preparing and packaging meals before the kids run off to school. Focus on fruits that require no packaging (apples, bananas, and kiwis, for example) and pantry items that you can prepare in little to no time at all (sandwiches, trail mix, etc.).
- Keep balance in mind. Include the basic formula of lean protein, vegetables, fruits, and healthy fats in your kids’ lunches. Not only will the formula help you stay organized and keep you from buying unnecessary items at the grocery store, but it will also keep your kids full and healthy throughout the day!
- Don’t run to the food “for kids.” Without doing the proper research, that is. Always read the nutrition labels of a packaged snack item before you purchase. Just because it says that it’s good for your kids doesn’t necessarily mean it will be. Hidden beneath the “for kid” label may very well be a lot of preservatives, added sugars, or saturated fats. Do the research!
Let us know how these tips helped you, and stay tuned for LaForce’s forthcoming meal prep tips!