Parents feel pressured into buying fast, convenient, packaged food for their children. This article provides some alternative suggestions.
What health conscious parent out there doesn’t walk with trepidation by the isle in the grocery store that holds the dreaded, Lunchables? Children cry out in delight when they see the familiar boxed concoctions of plastic mini pizzas, shredded cheese products and little circular dollar sized sausages. At over $5.00 a pop they are no monetary bargain, never mind a nutritious one.
In 1997, Lunchables came under attack from dietitians for having high saturated fat and sodium. Pushed upon busy parents as a time saving, convenient way to get their kids to eat: a single serving of Ham and Swiss Lunchables contains 1,780 milligrams of salt, which is 74 percent of the recommended daily dose for an adult!
But kids love ‘em, so what’s a parent to do?
It is not so much about what is in the packaging as much as the children love ‘creating’ their lunches at lunchtime. They love stacking up all the goodies, piling it all on top of each other. It’s fun and they don’t get in trouble for playing with their food.
Here are some really healthy nifty, inexpensive and just-as-fun solutions:
- First of all, buy those Ziploc plastic containers with the 3 compartments. Now we KNOW that they are not so environmentally friendly but they are the lessors of two evils.
- Now head down to the bread isle and pick up some of those yummy pita bread minis. If you are lucky you can find the whole-wheat kind.
- Pick up some homous or make your own ( super easy ) and some baby carrots.
- Kids can dip and dunk to their hearts content.
Other meal ideas:
- How about mini sandwiches made with mini rice cakes, pea butter (available at your local health food store, or in the health food section of your super market) and jam. They can assemble these themselves.
- Or try whole-wheat crackers, slices of vegetarian bologna or ham and soya cheese slices or low fat cheddar.
- Cut up some soft tortilla shells and include chicken strips and cut up veggies for a mini wrap.
- Mini whole wheat taco chips with shredded soya cheese and salsa
With some imagination you can send your children to school with a lunch they will enjoy making and eating and that you will feel good about. One child, one of the MOST pickiest eaters, was so hyped about this idea and getting the lunches ready that she came up with the idea to make all her lunches for the week every Sunday night. Then in the mornings, she just has to pick out which one she helped make and take it to school. No fuss, no arguing and saves time as well as tempers. What a bonus this was for everyone!!
