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How To Make Healthy School Lunches

Posted by Julian Torres, "JT" on Sep 15, 2021 7:36:25 PM

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Eating healthy sounds hard. Getting kids to eat healthy sounds harder. But there are simple ways to do both.

1. Plan Ahead

The most tedious and irritating part of eating healthy, but also the one with the most possibility. 

While individual work schedules play a big role here, it’s important to take some time and plan the meals on an off-work day. There are two immediate benefits from doing this: first, whether you plan on purchasing lunch foods for a week or for a month, preparing healthy lunches takes food shelf life into consideration. Fresh foods tend to spoil within a week unless frozen, so including them on the menu encourages the items to be used rather than be left buried on the fridge shelf.

Secondly, planning out the meals will allow the shopper to know exactly what you need before you step foot in a grocery, thus encouraging the shopper to focus only what they need versus what looks good on the shelf. Making smarter budget choices can also be healthy. 

Healthy lunch planning also takes into consideration such variables as cold storage, standard lunch time, and any allergy considerations for each individual child. Also, try not to plan your meals when you’re hungry. You could end up getting frustrated and writing down “frozen lunchables” just to get the planning done so you can make a sandwich. 

2. Make Extra

Preparing healthy lunches can actually start the night before class.

If your family has committed to the notion of eating healthier, it’s logical that decision would extend to every meal enjoyed by the family. This could mean something as easy as swapping out a bucket of fried chicken for spaghetti and meat sauce with a side vegetable. And if you’ve made enough for everyone to have a good dinner, any leftovers can instantly become the next day’s lunch.

Admittedly, this suggestion works best with foods the children can enjoy with minimal storage requirements; it’s no good sending them to school with a meal meant to be eaten hot when they don’t have access to a microwave. Thermal containers can work well with simple healthy food options like cooked noodles or chicken and rice, but maybe shy away from packing anything that needs to be reheated. 

Colder works better, especially since most children’s lunch boxes have storage slips for cold compresses to maintain food freshness.

3. Snacks Can Be Diverse

Meals get the most attention, but healthy snacks can make or break a kid’s healthy eating habits.

But when it comes to diets, it’s important to remember that diversity plays a big role in staying healthy. You can pack all the fruit and vegetables you want, but don’t be afraid to mix it up a little so your children get diversity in their diet. 

If you’re packing apple slices, try including some cherry tomatoes and string cheese. The kids like to snack on popcorn? Get some hardboiled eggs and berries in the bag. Experiment to see what works best, and listen to what the kids have to say about the selection; they’ll let you know how they feel about the food selection, either by telling you what they like or by what they’re not eating. 

4. Get The Kids Involved

Involving the kids in planning and preparing their own lunchboxes gives them the opportunity to learn about healthy eating, and also gives them a chance to make autonomous decisions about what they will be eating during the day.

Some tips to help get your kids involved include:

  • Talk to your children about what they would like to have in their lunchbox. Discuss healthier food and drink choices and decide what will be in the lunchbox together.

  • Encourage your children help prepare their lunchboxes. Older children may be able to prepare most of their lunch themselves, and younger children can help with making sandwiches or cutting up soft fruit. 

Keep in mind, eating a healthy lunch not only helps your kids perform well in class. It also helps form healthy habits for life! 

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