How To Make Great Lunches For Kids

Sitting with my son’s camp group yesterday and seeing what everyone had packed astounded me.   I mean, I KNEW people gave their kids unhealthy stuff to eat, and I know it can be harder when having to pack portable meals…..but I guess it’s been awhile since I saw the typical lunch box.  I was shocked beyond belief when I began a little experimentation by walking around the group to take a peek at what everyone was eating.

Beyond a slice of cucumber  or carrot (maybe) or the odd banana…out of about 20 kids I found only 3 or 4 besides mine that had any kind of vegetation in their lunchbox.   White bread was also the norm, with deli meat inside, perhaps a processed cheese slice on it.  Lots of juice boxes, which on closer inspection, were not necessarily juice but cocktails or punches.  To top all of this off, what there WAS abundance of was processed, sugary or salty snacks, sometimes 4 or 5 per box for the day.  I was flabbergasted…..  How can we send out kids to school or camp where they have high demands on their brains and bodies with ingestible substances that give little to no nutrition and poor quality calories?

Trying to stay realistic, I agree that it’s good to pack a treat in the lunch box so that kids don’t feel left out or deprived.  However this should be the exception to everything that’s in there…which should be providing fruits, veggies and a sandwich that gives quality protein.  At the very least you can choose healthier options for the typical items to keep the unhealthy ingredients as low as possible.  Organic juice boxes from 100% juice, natural, organic breads/pitas for sandwiches and nitrate-free deli meats are some examples.  There are also so many natural treats to choose from now to go along with these now that you can easily find at health stores or large grocery changes.  Little changes all put together can mean a lot in the long run.  Happy packing!

Christine Jambrosic, Homeopath at Markham Integrative Medicine