How to Select Items for A Healthy School Lunch

Packing a healthy school lunch for your child can be difficult. This guide will help you quickly and easily decide what to pack for your child's lunch. The best method is to get your child in on the planning strategy.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Grocery Store Ad
• Grocery List
• Pen/Paper

1. Get a blank sheet of paper and divide it into for areas Meat, Bread, Vegetables, Fruit, Milk, and drink. Under each category you will make a list of the foods your child enjoys or may enjoy for lunch. The general lunch will consist of an item from each category.

2. Select items your child may like from the list of Meats (beans, nuts, and fish included)
   Peanut Butter
   Beans (pinto, red, black eyed peas, etc)
   Tuna
   Turkey
   Chicken
   Salmon

3. Select items your child may like from the list of Grains
   Bread (White or Wheat)
   Rice
   Tortilla
   Pretzels
   Crackers
   Wheat thins
   Corn bread
   Potato

4. Select items your child may like from the list of Vegetables
   Peas
   Corn
   Carrots
   Broccoli
   Lettuce
   Tomato
   Red Peppers

5. Select items your child may like from the list of Fruits
   Apple
   Oranges
   Pineapples
   Applesauce
   Grapes
   Banana
   Cherries
   Blueberries
   Peach
   Pears
   Kiwi
   Strawberry
   Cherries
   Fig bars

6. Select items your child may like from the list of Dairy
   Cheese
   Yogurt
   Cottage Cheese
   String cheese
   Sliced cheese

7. Select items your child may like from the list of Drinks
   Milk
   Water (if you serve water at home your child will get use to drinking it)
   100% juice (no more than 25 g sugar)
   Orange Juice

8. You may also occasionally give a snack of some sort:
   Popcorn
   Fruit rollups
   Fruit snack

Tips & Warnings

• Avoid giving candy for lunch
• Limit the food given to your child. Make a note of food eaten as to quantity needs.
• Do not over feed your child. Provide a reasonable amount of food for his or her age.
• Encourage child to eat more vegetables and fruit than snacks.

[jenbeth]

on 9/10/2009 Great tips, thanks!

[omghow]

on 8/2/2009 Thanks for the tip. my grandson will love it.