Building a Nutritious Lunch

OK, school is now officially back in session in full force. There is so much to do each morning to get the kids out the door on time with everything they need to succeed.  Lunch preparation becomes one more chore to squeeze in with all the other deadlines of the AM rush. But what you put in your kids mouths and stomachs each day can have so much of an impact on how they feel and learn all day. Take time to do it right from a nutrition standpoint. You only get to prepare them health-wise for the rest of their life once.

And while you’re at it, why not make lunch for yourself?  Just as we can’t (unfortunately) count on our schools to supply the healthiest of lunch options these days, you may find yourself having to settle for “fast-food” meals in your day without some advance planning.

To help you and the kids power an afternoon of learning, growing and achieving, experts say a nutritious lunch should include lots of fiber and whole grains, some protein and healthy fat, a veggie and just a bit of natural sugar, like a piece of fresh fruit.

Easier said than done, you may be thinking.  How do you get them to eat it? Our best advice is to get kids involved in the lunch-making process. They have a vested interest in what goes in their lunch, so put that advantage to good use. Ask them: Would you like grapes or apple slices? How about black bean dip or hummus? Sliced turkey or ham? Carrots or celery? Woven wheat crackers or whole wheat tortilla?

Providing nutritious choices sets them up for success. They get control over choosing and you get the piece of mind in knowing that they are more likely to eat the good food you’ve packed.

Another favorite lunch tip is to do the lunch selection and prep work on the weekend, or at least the night before. Anything to avoid morning meltdowns, right?!

Now, here’s my personal favorite tip: Have your kids choose one main thing that they are going to eat every day for a week. Yes, variety is great but so is sanity. You don’t need to turn yourself into a short order cook. Heck, some kids eat the same exact sandwich every single day of the school year. I’m not advocating that. I’m saying that if your kid wants tuna salad, they can eat it for five days in a row and then have something different the next week. Trust me – this makes shopping and packing lunches way easier and I find that food doesn’t go to waste. Yeah!

Here are just a handful of lunch ideas:

    •    Whole wheat tortillas spread with peanut butter sprinkled with raisins or driedcherries, rolled up and cut in two.
    •    Hummus and spinach wrap, cherry tomatoes with string cheese, and yogurt.
    •    Organic corn tortillas with black beans, brown rice, low-fat shredded cheese and fresh pico de gallo.
    •    Whole wheat or buckwheat noodles with peanut sauce, sugar snap peas, a pear, almonds and a fortune cookie.
    •    Tuna salad with grated carrots, served with crackers or in a pita.
    •    Vegetarian brown rice sushi rolls with soy or ponzu sauce.
    •    Smoked salmon, cream cheese and cucumbers on mini bagels.
    •    Shumai dumplings/potstickers packed cold with ponzu sauce or peanut

While some of these are more heavy on the fat and flour than is ideal for daily consumption, variety will keep them looking forward to lunch. Choose tortillas, wraps and bread baked with whole grain flour or sprouted whole grain flour whenever possible. Whole wheat flour is the same as white flour from a nutrition stand point and should be minimized if possible. Be careful.  Opt for organic corn and soy whenever possible and go for low-fat (vs. non-fat or whole) dairy products if you can.

As you look at the menu, whenever possible use ingredients that are whole (e.g., not processed), plant-strong, nutritionally dense and include healthy fats.  Strips of collard greens, kale, chard, romaine lettuce, arugula, or sprouts added to the wraps or sandwiches offer significant nutrition boosts. Avacodos and whole nuts are healthy fats. If you can, opt for nuts that are raw, unsalted and not roasted.

Good luck!

P.S. And just as I had finished writing this, I cam across another post via the San Jose Mercury news titled Sack it to me.  Similar ideas with just a bit of twist. Nice to see the momentum growing.

Inspiration, ideas, photos and some text for this subject originally found on Whole Story, the official Whole Foods Market blog.