Back to School Nutrition

While summer may be in full swing, the start of the new school year is just around the corner and kids will soon be trading in their Popsicles for lunch boxes or food trays. Time to get back on schedule, making it a great time to focus on nutrition for the start of a healthy new school year. Research shows that kids perform better in school and are more successful in activities likes sports when they eat healthy and from all of the food groups.

Proper nutrition is good for the mind and body, so how do we start off right with healthy foods during the school day? School lunches became healthier when the federal government implemented new school-meal regulations in 2012. These meals include more fruits and vegetables, less fat (low-fat or fat-free milk plus lean proteins), whole grains, and less sodium. A new study shows that, although students didn’t like the new lunches at first, now students do actually like the healthier school lunches. Change can be hard but, in time and with exposure, students accepted the new foods and grew to enjoy them.

It can be easier for kids and parents to pack their own lunches to have more control with food preferences. Check out these healthy lunch tips below:

Use SMART when planning lunches:

S: Structure. Plan out your meals for the week and coordinate with a shopping list for groceries. Prepare lunch the night before if there is no time in the morning. Designate who is going to make the lunch – child or parent, or maybe it’s a group effort.

M: MyPlate. Include all food groups. Make half the lunch fruits and vegetables with a protein and a whole grain starch. Some ideas:

• Turkey sandwich on whole grain bread with lettuce & tomato + carrot and celery sticks and strawberries
• Whole grain pasta with spinach, tomatoes, and chicken + steamed broccoli and an apple

A: Attitude. Get kids excited about eating a healthy lunch so they have the energy and fuel for their growing bodies and minds. Have kids participate in making their lunches and have them choose foods so they are compliant. Parents need to model this attitude.

R: Roles. Parents decide what, when, and where the lunch will be. Kids choose if they will eat the lunch that day and how much they will eat. These roles allow kids to try new foods, enjoy their favorite foods and provides them with energy and nutrients their bodies need.

T: Try It! Encourage kids to try new foods by serving them at lunch once in awhile. Pair new foods with foods that are kids favorites. Be patient, it can take up to 20 times before a child accepts a new food, but persistence will pay off.

Remember to pack an ice pack or frozen water bottle to keep food cold and safe.

Kids who see their parents modeling these SMART lunch habits are more likely to become SMART lunch eaters themselves. Be SMART when making healthy lunch choices for back to school.

Check out KidsEatRight.org for more information on this topic.