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Child Care – What are Child Lunch Pack Tips? | Lunch Pack Tips To Parents

Ingredients for a healthy lunch. A sandwich. Canned or fresh fruit Veggies like baby carrots or celery. Skim or low-fat milk in a single-serving container, or low-fat yogurt. Something fun, like a granola bar or low-fat pudding How to build a healthy sandwich. The outside whole-grain bread, bagel or tortilla. The inside lean meat, tuna, low-fat cheese or peanut butter. For extra flavor spicy mustard or ketchup Go light on mayonnaise. Pile on the extras lettuce, tomato slices, green pepper and cucumber Making lunch good and easy

Let your kids help make lunch. They’re more likely to eat it if they have some say in the menu and preparation. Keep lunches cold for food safety by using an ice pack. When it comes to treats, less is better. Keep the portions small and the number of servings few. For beverages, stick to water, milk or an 8-ounce or less serving of juice. Look for 100-percent fruit juices that have added vitamin C. Chocolate milk is an option for children who don’t like white milk. Make things easy for young kids. Slice up fruit and vegetables. Open those cans of fruit with the tab and transfer the food to a small plastic container that the child can easily open. Find out when your child eats lunch.

Many schools schedule lunches in shifts and some kids may eat as early as 10:30 while others don’t get lunch until 1 p.m. Pack a small snack, like Cheerios, or a small container of grapes or crackers for a late morning or early afternoon snack, if your child’s school allows. When choosing lunch meat, opt for those lower in fat, preferably containing less than 30-percent fat. Let your kids see how important healthy eating is by eating healthy yourself. If you don’t want your kids eating junk food, don’t keep it in the house.

1.Check for allergy restrictions at your child’s school. Many schools have

2.Add a special treat. If most of your child’s lunch is healthy, it is fine to give them a favorite treat to look forward to. Try a snack or fun-size candy bar, pudding, a small cookie or a mini-muffin. If your child likes salty treats instead of sweet, try a small bag of chips, pretzels or roasted nuts.

3.Forget drink boxes with sugary drinks. Even so called “100 percent juices” are packed with sugar. Water is the best lunch box drink.

4.Test out new lunch box recipes at home before they make it into the lunch pail.

5.Make your child part of the lunch-making process. Ask them what they want; do not assume. Take your child to the store to give you input on what he or she would actually eat. Have your child help you assemble the lunches as well. This is a great way to teach your child about nutrition and healthy eating habits.

6. Whole grain crackers, cheese and turkey or ham. Healthier than the lunch packs at the store and probably cheaper too. Use a sectioned-off plate with a lid or small plastic containers to keep things separate until your child eats them.

7.Avoid using mayonnaise and other similar dressings in your child’s lunch. Besides the high fat and calorie content, they are a harbor for bacteria and could make you child sick.

8. Make a healthy PB&J. Use all-natural peanut butter, all-fruit spread and whole-grain bread. This is more filling than the less healthy version. Change up the PB&J by trying different combinations: peanut butter and bananas, peanut butter and honey, or peanut butter and thinly sliced apples. Try low-fat cream cheese in the place of peanut butter.

9. Buy a thermos. Left over soups, stews and chilis can make great, warm school lunches. Pack these with half a sandwich or whole-grain crackers and cheese.

10. Pack fruit instead of vegetables. If trying to get your child to chow down on carrots and celery sticks won’t work, try grapes, raspberries, sliced oranges, or sliced apples. Include a dip like vanilla yogurt or a nut butter mixed with honey.

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