Tips For Back To School - Packing a Healthy Lunch Box
Your kid(s) needs the energy from a nutritious lunch to keep going at school all day long.
A healthy packed lunch can be a child's best start to developing healthy eating habits and a good relationship with food. Children who eat well and stay active are more likely to do better in school, maintain a healthy body weight, build lifelong healthy eating habits, and have better self-esteem. With a little knowledge and planning, you can be part of that good beginning.
Here are some great tips to send them off to school with a nutritious and delicious lunch every day:
- The child’s age is important, portions and appetite may vary, refer to recommendation of Canada's Food Guide when determining serving sizes.
- Active and growing children need many small and nutritious snacks to keep their energy levels up throughout the day. A healthy snack combines two to four of the food groups and is "tooth friendly" (doesn't sugar-coat teeth). These can include fresh fruit with yogurt dip, apples with cottage cheese, carrot sticks with tzatziki, whole grain crackers with cheese or pita bread with hummus.
- Children need lots of fluid throughout the day. Proper hydration combats headaches, fatigue, and listlessness. Water is the best choice to drink.
- Juice does not replace fresh fruits or vegetables. Avoid snacks and beverages high in calories, fat, sugar, and sodium, such as cookies, doughnuts, French fries, potato chips, fruit-flavored drinks, and soft drinks.
- Involve your child in choosing his or her lunch menu. Including favorite foods and snacks ensures the lunch will be eaten at school.
- Be sure to offer a variety of foods in your child's lunch from day to day. So, mix it up!
Check Out These Healthy and Simple Lunch Box Packing Tips:

- For litter less lunches, choose reusable containers.
- Keep lunches cold and safe with reusable ice packs and thermal lunch bags. Keep lunches refrigerated until the last minute.
- To avoid morning hassles, make and refrigerate lunches the night before.
- Where possible, freeze individual portions of muffins, cookies, or quick breads. Pop them into lunches in the morning; they will thaw by lunchtime.
- Encourage kids to help make and pack their own lunches and get involved in making healthy choices.
- Don't forget the fruit. Cubed melon, pineapple, mango, strawberries, and grapes make welcome additions to the usual apples and oranges. In winter, try sectioned grapefruit and zipper-skinned citrus, such as mandarins and clementines.





