Healthy School Lunches for Teenagers
When you want to make sure that your teenager is getting the nutrition he needs, pay attention to what he's eating for lunch. In 2009, "USA Today" discovered that the United States Department of Agriculture holds laxer standards for the meat given to the National School Lunch program than fast food places hold for their food. Make your teenager's lunch at home or help them prepare lunches that they will enjoy.
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Soup and Rolls
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Place a bean-based soup in a thermos and accompany it with a whole-grain roll and some dried fruit. The bean soup provides your teen with protein, which will give them energy through the day, and the dried fruit provides them with a natural source of sugar that is good for a boost during the middle of the day. Soup can also be made in large batches and then frozen, allowing it to be defrosted as it is necessary. Tear the whole-grain roll in half and spread butter or margarine on one side, squeezing it together for transport.
Bagel and Salad
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Spread 1 or 2 tbsp. of peanut butter on a whole-grain bagel and sprinkle the peanut butter with raisins or slices of banana. If your teen has a bit of a sweet tooth, add a drizzle of honey to the peanut butter, which is sweet and has less additives than jam or jelly. Accompany this lunch with a small salad of cucumbers, green peppers, mushrooms and tomatoes. Add a small cup of a sweet vinegar dressing to the side, and add an apple or an orange for dessert.
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Tortilla Wrap
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Tortilla wraps allow you to combine a number of different foods into one easy package. Fill a tortilla wrap with any combination of ground or chopped meat or cut vegetables. For example, make a chicken fajita tortilla wrap with chopped chicken, capers, onions and a dab of sour cream. You may also choose to fill the tortilla wrap with ground beef, cooked onions, shredded cheese and hot sauce. Add apples sprinkled with cinnamon to this lunch to provide a sweet dessert.
Bento
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A bento is a small box containing a Japanese packed lunch of tightly packed ingredients. While these boxes can be very plain, the food can be used to create a decorative pattern inside the box. The basis of a Japanese bento is cold, cooked white rice, to which small amounts of cooked vegetables and meat or tofu are added. The side dishes, known as okazu, may be arranged in their own separate compartments inside the bento or they may be arranged on top of the rice. Bentos are perfect for a teenager who loves Japanese culture and they provide a good opportunity to create a well-rounded lunch.
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References
- Photo Credit teen eating strawberry image by Anna Chelnokova from Fotolia.com
