We are sharing the Top 5 questions dietitians get in hopes of reducing the stress of packing lunches and snacks and getting the school year off to a healthy start!
1. What do I pack?
– Snack foods are a huge industry and have a whole aisle dedicated to them which only adds to the snack confusion. Most packaged items likely contain added sugar, added salt and an added expense
– Rule of Thumb – STICK TO THE BASICS!
– Choose from the Canada Food Guide https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/
2. How do I get my kid to eat what I pack?
– Involving your kids in packing, preparing, and deciding on their snacks and lunches is an important part of developing healthy skills and eating habits for the future.
– This does not mean a lot of work or mess.
o Assign jobs depending on age and skills. Younger kids can be involved in washing, mixing, and putting food into containers. Older kids can practice math and science by measuring and counting, chopping, mixing, and making decisions about what goes into their lunch.
Take your kids grocery shopping and have them pick out a fruit or vegetable each week. Then, as a family, decide how you are going to prepare or serve that food item.
o Expect spills and messes and provide children with positive feedback on their cooking effort to encourage continued participation.
o Choose a time during the day or week your kids are more likely to want to be involved. Avoid doing this when they are tired or busy and feeling rushed. You want this to be FUN!
Also remember that while you as a parent are responsible for providing healthy options, your kids are responsible for their hunger in order to build healthy relationships with food.
3. My school is peanut aware/free what is left to pack?
– People are more aware of food allergies. Check with your school/childcare facilities on their policies around food allergies. Some schools now might only be “nut aware” versus “nut free”.
– As soon as people hear “nut allergy” they panic – “what can I send it I cant send peanut butter sandwiches?” THINK BEYOND PEANUT BUTTER.
– Be assured that there are a variety of healthy food choices that don’t contain peanuts!
https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/info/nutrition/if-nfs-peanut-and-tree-nut-free-meals-snacks.pdf
4. What do I put in my kid’s lunchkit for lunches and snacks?
– Dips!! Most kids LOVE dips. Try pita chips and bean dip or salsa, cut-up fruit with a yogurt dip, or cut-up vegetables and dip or hummus.
– Change up your bread. Choose whole-grain pitas, tortillas or wraps.
– Pick colourful foods.
– Make your own trail mix – whole grain high fibre cereal, dried fruit and roasted chickpeas
– Have your kids pick out a fun lunch kit or containers.
Kids might only have around 20 minutes to eat, so try to have everything cut up and ready to go.
Remember food safety: Keep foods cool with ice packs or frozen milk or water and hot foods in thermoses.
Here are some great sites for lots of ideas for kids lunches and snacks and yourself that are fun to put together as a family! I have put out a few recipes from these sites that I think would be great to add into any lunch or snack and will be ending up in my kids lunches this year!
Looking for great ways to get in protein?
https://pulsecanada.com/applications/pulses-in-food-productshttp://www.pulsecanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Cooking-With-Pulses.pdf
https://www.lentils.org/recipe
Check out the recipes for Lentil Granola bars, Roasted Chickpeas, Chickpea Hummus and Lentil Bites.
Looking for family-friendly meals?
http://www.unlockfood.ca/en/Recipes/Kid-friendly-award-winning-recipes.aspx
Check out the recipes for Chicken Crunchie Quesadillas, Creamy Zucchini Dip, Bagel Crunch, Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal, Potatoe Patties, and Mini mushroom omelettes.