March 19th, 2008 by john 
in Categories: 
Now before you get upset, I’m not telling you to stuff the pie hole. I’m talking about bag it as in a brown bag or a cute little lunch box. Doesn’t matter, take your pick. Start packing little Johnny’s lunch today! His health depends on it!
Have you visited your child’s school cafeteria lately? It’s not exactly bursting with nutritional value! One thing my wife and I have noticed over the years is the total lack of variety. Not that there aren’t choices, but the choices are all about the same from a health perspective. In other words:
Monday Menu
- Cheeseburger
- Fried chicken sandwich
- Pizza
- French Fries
- Tater Tots
Tuesday Menu
- Barbecue Sandwich
- Hotdog
- Spaghetti
- French Fries
- Tater Tots
And so on and so forth. In all fairness, the schools seem to have tried to add some healthy choices. But the bruised fruit and wilted salads don’t look to appealing to me! I think kids would make better eating choices if presented with better options. Fresh fruit and fresh vegetables. Real salads. Homemade sandwiches. Ya, I guess I’m dreaming!
Something New
In our area the new high schools all have mall-like food courts complete with Mr. Taco King, Greasy Burger Queen and Pizza Delight. Names have been changed to protect the guilty. This at a time when nearly 1 in 5 children are considered obese. Add to that the soda machines lining the hallways and you have a recipe for disaster.
“But Dad, everybody else buys their lunch”
Taking all of this into consideration, I think packing your child’s lunch is a VERY reasonable thing to do. Admittedly, not popular. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard “But Dad, everybody else buys their lunch”. However, while sitting at the lunch table we always see plenty of other kids with packed lunches.
In our house, buying a school lunch is the exception, not the rule. AND my parents always packed my lunch. I wasn’t very fond of it at the time, but I feel that I have healthier eating habits as an adult, because of it.
One day our kids will thank us, right?
When packing a lunch, we try to switch things up. Variety is the spice of life! Packing the same thing every day will surly lead to an uneaten lunch. So, here are some ideas for packing a tasty, healthy lunch:
Main Meal
Soup
Fresh Sandwich
Pita sandwich
Chicken wrap
Gourmet Salad
Favorite leftovers
Snacks
Any kind of Fruit
Celery w/ salsa
Celery w/ peanut butter
Carrots w/ ranch dip
Crackers
Pretzels
Granola Bars
Baked Chips
Yogurt
Pudding Cups
Apple Sauce Cups
Cookies (Yes cookies)
So, that’s my short list of ideas. I’m sure you have family favorites that you could add to the list. Go ahead, give it a try! Your children will be much healthier for your efforts.
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My name is John.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
We stopped buying school lunches 6 years ago due to the reasons you mentioned. When I was in high school, my parents gave me a food allowance. Which meant for me, pack your lunch and pocket the money. I don’t have to bribe my teenager at all, she prefers to pack her lunches. However, she could use a little variety, so occasionally, I pack her lunch.
I used to work in a school systems in the mountain states and at the time they had very healthy school lunches and no pop machines in sight. The reason for this, was very active and vocal parents. They also, had local restaurants, like healthy subs, Thai and Japanese food. They had to fit the school boards standards with nutrition and cost. I remember a restaurant was pulled quickly when they validated the nutrition standards. With this being said, 75% of the kids carried packed lunches. I must say, they had better packed lunches then my generation.
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That’s great! Good for you. If more parents stopped paying for school lunches and voiced their opinions, school systems would be more inclined to improve their menus. I read a while back about a consultant whose business it was to evaluate school cafeteria’s and make recommendations for change. Her first recommendation was usually to add a large salad bar, followed by more healthy choices including fresh fruits and veggies. She makes several hundred thousand dollars a year for her advice. I would have given them mine for free.
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Jamie can understand the “But Dad, everybody else buys their lunches!” groans. *Hehe* Well, Jamie thinks the key here is to make the packed lunch “unbeatable”, so that it does not remain uneaten! You have mentioned yummy yet healthy food… are your children rejecting them? Hmmm… Jamie is not sure about including family favorites as packed lunches, ‘cos overtime, kids get tired of them and they no longer remain as family favorites. Kids nowadays want variety! Just ask yours truly! =) Jamie suggests trying something new and different, such as packing Japanese sushi (healthy delicious food). Make enough for your children to share with their close friends. Their friends will probably envy more than ridicule them for packing lunch! Yes, learning new dishes take lots of effort. At the end of the day, if your children come back with big smiles, you know the effort is worth it. =)
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Jamie – Thanks for the suggestions! The Japanese sushi is a great idea! We have a sushi bar near our home that we have visited several times lately. Good stuff!
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