Ask a Dietitian

As seen on BCTV September 3/02
TEEN SCHOOL LUNCHES

We all know the basics of the bagged lunch; include 3-4 food groups, add a hydrating beverage and be sure you pack cold food cold and hot food hot. But how do we put this into practice when all your teens want are the fries and gravy from the school cafeteria, or worse yet, they don’t want to eat at all in front of their friends?

Here are some tips to help your kids get the nutrition they need at school.

• Encourage them to make their own lunches. Do it the night before so they don’t run out of time.
• Have them brainstorm with you to determine which lunch and snack foods they like. Be sure the foods fall into one of the 4 food groups.
• Consider easy to eat finger foods rather that messy soups or spaghetti that require a spoon or fork to eat.
• Have several water bottles or insulated cups that can be washed and refilled with water, milk or juice.
• Provide them with an insulated bag to help keep food cold.
• Discuss an agreed upon limit for the number of times they can eat lunch from the school cafeteria. Suggest they bring their lunch 4 times and eat once at the cafeteria.
• Discuss healthy items available at the cafeteria and which items they should choose less often such as fried chicken strips, French fries and Tatter tots.
• Talk to them about saving their allowance for other fun activities and encourage them to eat the groceries that you buy each week.
• Set a good example, if you bring your lunch they will too.
• Take turns making each others lunches. You can even give prizes for the best lunch of the month.
• Have a cupboard and section of the fridge that contain lunch bag items for ease of packing. Keep small bags of dried fruit and nuts, canned fruit, dry cereal, juice and dried fruit leathers in the cupboard and yogurt, fruit and vegetables in the fridge.
• Remember, if you don’t want them to take chocolate bars and chips in their lunches then don’t have them in the house.
• Do some food preparation on Sunday to help save time during the week. Wash and prepare some raw vegetables and fruit, make a batch of muffins and prepare 1 or 2 whole loaves of sandwiches which you can wrap individually and freeze for the week.
• Make plan-overs at dinner time. Cook one pizza for dinner and save one pizza for lunches the next day.
• BBQ extra chicken breasts to use for sandwiches or making cold chicken burgers or lettuce, and chicken wraps.
• Make smoothies and freeze them in water bottles, by lunch or after school sports they should be thawed.

Watch for the Eating for Energy segment on BCTV’s Noon News Hour!