What’s in your child’s lunch kit?
WHAT do I put in my child’s lunch box? It’s a question many parents battle with every day, especially those who want to ensure that when the children are out of the house, they’re still eating healthy.
It is mandatory for early childhood institutions to offer one cooked meal per day, and many institutions provide a menu for parents so they know what their kids are eating at school. And so in may cases, the lunch box contents only supplement the school lunch.
There are several things that must be included in your child’s lunch kit. Many early childhood institutions insist on one fruit per day, while banning things like cheese trix which provide nothing but empty calories. As a parent, you don’t want to just grab the pre-packaged snack bag at the supermarket, which contains mainly chips and other snacks with empty calories. You want to ensure that you raise healthy eaters.
Here is a list of things you should ensure are included in the lunch box.
A fruit a day
The good thing about living in Jamaica is that there is always an abundance of fruits in season. And even if you forget to buy fruits on the weekend, fruit sellers are at every corner on your journey to school, giving you the opportunity to add a fruit to your child’s lunch box. Bananas, for example, give potassium, and are considered brain food, and an orange will provide vitamin C and help stave off the common cold. You can also cut up a variety of fruits overnight and make a fruit salad, bag and freeze it for school the next day.
If you absolutely have no fruit on hand, bag up some raisins, which help with bone health, among other things.
…Some veggies too
You can give your child her daily intake of vegetables in her lunch box too. Use only the vegetables you know she likes. Cut carrots into strips, cucumbers into slices, and some broccoli, place in a small container or Ziploc bag, and keep it in the lunchbox near her frozen juices so the veggies stay nice and cool. Do not use vegetables that wilt easily. Flavour them with a mild vinaigrette so they are not too bland.
Fruit juices
Ensure that when you buy box juices they are 100 per cent juice, or have as little sugar as possible. Many parents opt to make their own juices and bottle them for school. This is a great option if you don’t want your kids having too much sugar. If they protest about having home-made juices, freeze the juice in used juice bottles and they won’t be able to tell the difference.
Water
This is an absolute essential for every lunch box. Don’t forget the water, especially if your child has after-school activities. Freeze bottles overnight, so the water doesn’t get hot during the day.
Healthy snacks
We’re not saying that you should turn into a health nut, but be very, very careful about the bagged snacks you include in your child’s lunch kit. Watch out for snacks with empty calories, with too much sugar, and too much sodium. Potato chips once a week is fine, but this shouldn’t be in your child’s lunch kit every day, nor should cheese trix. If you are giving the child more than one snack, give one savoury and one sweet, for example.
