{"id":4919,"date":"2021-05-19T21:59:51","date_gmt":"2021-05-19T21:59:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/s37407.p1377.sites.pressdns.com\/resources\/en-nz\/?p=4919"},"modified":"2021-05-19T21:59:51","modified_gmt":"2021-05-19T21:59:51","slug":"how-to-make-healthy-lunches-your-kids-will-en","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/en-nz\/how-to-make-healthy-lunches-your-kids-will-en\/","title":{"rendered":"How to make healthy lunches your kids will enjoy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Does your kid trade their healthy lunch for junk food? Do they bring a lunchbox full of food home with them?  Here are 10 tips for packing lunches that your child will eat.<\/strong><\/p>

You know the scenario — you or your nanny<\/a> pack a healthy lunch for your child, send them off to school and most of it comes back home — or worse, is tossed or traded for snacks that they know are taboo. 
 
So, what are some of the best healthy lunch ideas for kids? Follow these 10 tips for packing a healthy lunch from Sylvia Klinger, a registered dietitian and child nutrition specialist, and Missy Chase Lapine, author of the bestselling “The Sneaky Chef” book series, and you’ll rule at the lunch table: 
  <\/p>

  1. Make the right mix <\/strong>
    \tA balanced lunch is essential for growing kids — and for adults. A balanced lunch should include at least three food groups, and a snack should have at least two food groups, recommends Klinger. Try packing your kid’s lunchbox with low-sodium turkey slices, apple wedges, and whole-grain crackers. “Eating balanced meals provides the nutrition kids need and gives them more energy,” she says. 
    \t  <\/p><\/li><\/ol>

    1. Ask kids to help  <\/strong>
      \tTeach your kids healthy lunch ideas by making meals together. Klinger says, “Cooking develops an appreciation for delicious healthy foods.” And your kid will be able to eat something they helped create! 
      \t  <\/p><\/li><\/ol>

      1. Shop together <\/strong>
        \tWhen you take the family grocery shopping, read the nutrition labels. Let your kid choose the fruits and veggies when you shop, and pack them into lunch-sized servings at home. 
        \t  <\/p><\/li><\/ol>

        1. Add veggies to favourite foods<\/strong> 
          \t“Sometimes you have to add the veggies into something kids love to eat,” suggests Lapine. Your little one loves mac and cheese, so try adding a puree made from sweet potatoes and carrots into the mix. 
          \t  <\/p><\/li><\/ol>

          1. Make it dippable <\/strong>
            \tYour kid may be more willing to eat veggies when served with dip. It adds a burst of flavour and the fun of dunking the veggies into the dip. Klinger suggests mixing 1 cup light cream cheese with 1\/2 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise, and spreading the mixture in a bowl. Then layer salsa, chopped tomatoes and low-fat shredded cheese. Add a few tablespoons of the dip to his lunchbox. 
            \t  <\/p><\/li><\/ol>

            1. Presentation is key <\/strong>
              \tLapine suggests buying your kid a cute bento box — a container with compartments to separate foods — to make lunch more of an event. Use small cookie cutters to cut foods into cute shapes. 
              \t  <\/p><\/li><\/ol>

              1. Let kids create <\/strong>
                \tYour kid can make a unique salad by adding sliced strawberries, sweet red peppers, cucumbers or other favourite veggies to lettuce for a sweet salad that’s also nutritious. One of Klinger’s favourite lunches is filling a large leaf of lettuce with a tablespoon of yellow corn, black beans, cubed chicken or ham and low-fat shredded cheddar cheese to make a fun lettuce sandwich. 
                \t  <\/p><\/li><\/ol>

                1. Don’t forget a treat <\/strong>
                  \t“Give your kid healthier versions of popular junk food so they don’t feel left out from what  they consider ‘the good stuff,'” recommends Lapine. Try making your own brownies using carob, blueberries, oats or wheat germ — your kid won’t even miss the added sugar and fat! 
                  \t  <\/p><\/li><\/ol>

                  1. Surprise them<\/strong> 
                    \tInclude one “surprise” veggie in your kid’s lunch box each week. Something they may not have eaten before or doesn’t eat often. This is a great way to introduce them to new foods and pique their curiosity in a fun way. 
                    \t  <\/p><\/li><\/ol>

                    1. Be a role model <\/strong>
                      \tAnd while It sounds cliché, set an example by packing your own healthy lunch. “Kids tend to eat the way we eat. They want what we’re having,” says Lapine. When you eat healthy at home and pack healthy lunches for yourself, your kid will do the same. 
                      \t  <\/p><\/li><\/ol>

                      Sandy Wallace is a mom and freelance writer who began writing as a child and enjoys sharing family and parenting advice. <\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                      Does your kid trade their healthy lunch for junk food? Do they bring a lunchbox full of food home with them?  Here are 10 tips for packing lunches that your child will eat. You know the scenario — you or your\u202fnanny\u202fpack a healthy lunch for your child, send them off to school and most of it comes back home Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1162,"featured_media":29132,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"enable_toc":false,"care_reviewed_by":0,"care_post_updated_flag":false,"care_updated_date":"","last_update":"2021-05-19","view_count":213,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"member-type":[44],"vertical":[50,74],"platform":[2],"class_list":["post-4919","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","member-type-all-en-nz","vertical-children-en-nz","vertical-kids-health-safety-en-nz","platform-resources"],"acf":[],"created":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/en-nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4919","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/en-nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/en-nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/en-nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1162"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/en-nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4919"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/en-nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4919\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/en-nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29132"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/en-nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/en-nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4919"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/en-nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4919"},{"taxonomy":"member-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/en-nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/member-type?post=4919"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/en-nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=4919"},{"taxonomy":"platform","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/en-nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/platform?post=4919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}