Peer pressure can be tough on little ones, especially in the lunch room. There are a few things you can do to help make sure you child eats the lunch you’ve sent, or (gulp!) doesn’t throw it all in the trash!
The Cool Lunch
Kids love to be the one with the “cool” lunch at their table. You don’t have to break the bank or buy the latest trendy packaged foods to make this happen, though. Remember, just because your child may eat certain foods at home, it’s not a foregone conclusion that they’d accept them as readily in their lunch box. Here are some options:
- Make an ordinary food extraordinary by varying flavors or textures, or pairing things together. For example, fire ants on a log are an unusual pairing, but make for a great conversational item.
- Pack amazing “treat” substitutes for traditional packaged “junk food” (more on this below)
- Use cookie cutters or a knife to make “uncrustable” sandwiches with silly shapes
- Include fun games or notes
- Pack fun straws for a juice box or water bottle
A Helping of Health
- Be realistic. If you pack a double-fiber whole wheat sandwich, it may be packed with 10 grams of fiber… but if your child doesn’t eat it you’ve lost the battle. You may have better success packing whole-grain potato bread (4g fiber) that will actually make it into your child’s body.
- Offer healthier substitutions. Take some of your traditional favorites and find a healthy substitution that’s also fun. Some examples:
| Traditional Favorite | Healthier Alternative |
|---|---|
| Potato Chips | Flat Earth Chips or other baked chips |
| Fries (fried in oil) | Oven-baked fries |
| Pre-packaged cheese and crackers | Assorted crackers and cheeses without preservatives |
| Cookies | Newman’s Own cookies |
| Nachos with cheese spread | Baked tortillas with melted cheese in the middle |
| Full-fat hot dogs | Reduced fat hot dogs |
…you get the idea!
Tags: alternatives, peer pressure
More about Amy and Scott Dawson, creators of Lunchtaker.com: One of our core focuses is on nutrition and fitness. Our children both attended a parent cooperative pre-school where the morning snack was as healthy as possible, and our family liked the opportunities for new foods that arose in pre-school. As our children go through grade school, we are focusing on continuing the trend of ensuring we feed ourselves a variety of foods, all good for our bodies... read more...
Posted Thursday, May 14th, 2009 at 8:42 am and filed under How-To. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
