Each weekday, our children head off to school to fill their minds with new knowledge, to meet and play with their friends and, hopefully, to fill their bellies with a healthy lunch. You can create healthy packed lunches that your child will not only eat, but will enjoy, on a regular basis. No trading for a cafeteria pudding or someone else’s sack of sweets need occur, interfering with your child’s good health, when you create healthy packed lunches from your very own kitchen.

Save Time And Money

Making healthy packed lunches can save you a significant amount of money. Creating a plan of action can save you a lot of time, as well. Buying in bulk and planning ahead are both to your advantage. Most ingredients can be stored long enough for you to create these masterful works of dietary delight over the weekend, freeing up what little time most families have available during the work week.

One of the best ways to make your child’s healthy packed lunch a success is to enlist their assistance in all stages of the process. Sit down with your child and discuss the basics of good nutrition and challenge them to come up with innovative ideas for their own healthy packed lunch. Your common sense and their creativity can work together to create memorable school lunches that their friends will envy and which will never get tossed in the trash.

Creating Healthy Packed Lunches

Gone are the days of four square meals, so be ready to gain some new knowledge of your own as you work with your child to create healthy packed lunches. Harvard Medical School has conducted intensive research in the area of nutrition. Use their latest Healthy Eating Pyramid to design and create balanced and delicious school lunches with your child. Make it a game, a challenge, an adventure for both of you. Show your child that you are learning with them as you consider the importance of whole grains as opposed to “white starches”, the surprising need for healthful oils in your diet, and the high need for fresh fruits and vegetables in a variety of colors each day.

By involving your child, they will be far more likely to take ownership of their creations as they (and you) learn how to create healthy menus. You can even create a game out of searching for menu ideas that will fulfill each of the healthy food categories. Teach you child how combining seeds, such as wheat, and legumes, such as peanut butter, can give them a complete protein that their body needs to build strong muscles.

Add That Special Touch

Our children need to know that we love them and that they are precious to us. There are many ways parents can use healthy packed lunches as a means to express that love and affection. The addition of little notes, special reading material, a flower, a sticker or a coupon for a weekend trip to the movies are all ways that parents can add that special touch to their child’s healthy packed lunch.

Your child will eagerly look forward to lunch time, knowing that the two of you created it together and that there is going to be something special in it for them, just from you. Healthy food is crucial to good health, but it does no good if it never gets eaten. You and your child can enjoy the rewarding experience of building healthy lunches, and other meals, together, helping each other to learn important skills and to share special moments that will strengthen your relationship and provide your child with the confidence and good health they need to become the best that they can.

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