School lunch. Those two words bring up so many feelings for me now that I have four kiddos who I try to nourish every day and for whom school lunch is difficult. It seems like there is never enough time to eat (I do have a couple of chatterboxes!) or the food tasted weird after sitting in the lunch box for a few hours or it was a sandwich and, “I hate sandwiches!” Whatever the reason, in a moment when I have zero control over their nourishment it is up to my kids to choose to eat the food that is in their lunches, or at least to try.
This has become a real issue for us over the years due to “hangry” behavior problems either at school or upon the return home from school. Additionally, anxiety and disengagement with school has been a significant issue within our family. My solution for this is to allow the kids a certain degree of pickiness with respect to their school lunches, which would never be allowed at home. My rationale for this is that, in a busy day, I want to provide my kiddos with a wee respite from the constant stress. In my opinion, it is not the moment for a power struggle over nutrition. So, we try to be balanced, but I will honestly say that I don’t fuss about it too much as long as they are getting some nutrition. Of course, I make sure they consume some veg at home and try to have healthy options available.
If you also struggle with kids bringing home lunches with just a few bites taken and a hangry attitude, this is my advice:
- Talk to your kiddo about the importance of nutrition during the school day. Stopping to eat is really hard for some kiddos, so if they don’t understand why it’s important they may just skip it or eat very halfheartedly.
- Ask your kids for ideas about what they would like to eat for lunch. Their ideas may be very different than yours.
- Ask your kiddos about what lunch looks like in their school. What are the things that are fun or hard or exciting about it? Talking through the experience can be helpful.
- If your elementary kids’ school allows it, consider eating lunch with your kid every once in a while.
- If your kiddos are struggling with behavior or attention problems in school you should talk to your pediatrician about this. I wish I had sooner. You should also pay close attention to what they are interested in eating on their own. Some nutrition is certainly better than no nourishment.
- Have your kiddos help to pack their own lunches if you can accommodate this in your morning/evening routine.
- Be careful to keep things that have a lot of loose water in them (like any peeled fruit or vegetable) separated from things that are supposed to be crispy.
- Let hot things (like pizza) cool a bit before placing them in the lunch containers. This helps to maintain the ideal texture.
When it comes to actually packing the lunches I try to include something related to fruit or vegetables in their basic form (I don’t count fruit snacks for this but do count real fruit leather, for instance), some carbohydrates, and some protein. Here are a few of my favorite combinations:
- Ham or turkey sandwich, potato chips, and a fruit bar
- Crispbread with butter and ham (bagged separately to keep the moisture from making the crispbread soggy), kiwi, and a granola bar
- Peanut butter sandwich, cucumbers, cookie
- Chili in a thermos with corn chips and carrots
- Individual 4-inch pizzas, cucumbers, cookie
I’d love to hear in the comments some of your kids’ favorite lunches. Have a great school year!
