Preparing Healthy Breakfasts and Lunches for School: A Guide for Parents
We have a few deal-breaker jobs as a parent. Two biggies are looking out for their health and helping them get an education.
Those two come together when you consider feeding your kids before and during school. A poorly nourished brain will not be ready to learn. A child on a blood sugar rollercoaster will not be ready to learn. A child who doesn’t sleep well will not be ready to learn. All of these issues can be resolved with some simple meals and a little planning ahead.
This applies to adults, too. I can’t tell you how many people with chronic fatigue or ADHD have managed to turn their lives around once they changed their diet. Food doesn’t always fix everything, but it makes it all a whole lot easier. You don’t even have to do a bunch of cooking. I want to share some quick and easy ideas with you.
Summer Preparation: Trying Out Breakfast and Lunch Options
You might be thinking that the school lunch season doesn’t start until the first of September. But seasoned parents know that it’s a whole lot easier if you start some of these new things over the summer.
Try new foods + take them to the lake
With all the newness of the first day of school, the last thing you want is an unfamiliar lunch box. This is when you want the comfort of favorites. Something expected. Not scary new food that you won’t eat. Try out some of your ideas in the weeks ahead of time. This goes for containers, too! Use your new lunch box hardware on a picnic. See what works when the stakes are lower and get feedback.
Involve your child in the process
Give your child a short list of choices and let them vote. Give them 5 protein foods and ask what their top 2-3 are. Ask them what soups they like. Ask them to choose their fav fruit or veg. It’s fine to send the same lunch day in and day out as long as it’s balanced. If your kid wants tofu cubes, snap peas, apple slices, a cheese stick and a Hershey’s kiss every day, give yourself a high five and stock up until they change their mind.🏆🏆
Get into a routine for mornings
You don’t have to get them out of bed at 6 am for the entire month of August. But get in a groove with some breakfasts that you think you could manage on a school morning. Tastes can be cultivated. Nurture the expectation for something more nutritious.
Quick and Easy Breakfast Ideas for Busy Mornings
Precooked sausages, oatmeal in a programmable rice cooker, cottage cheese and fruit, breakfast burrito, scrambled eggs, a protein smoothie, overnight oats with chia and fruit… give some of these a few tries to see what they like. See what you can prep ahead to make it easier. Here’s a list of kid-friendly breakfasts that aren’t cereal.
You can make 5 jars of overnight oats/muesli on the weekend, a whole pitcher of their fav protein smoothies, precook a pan of sausages, or invest in a programmable rice cooker to make oatmeal if you’re an oatmeal family. Have some roasted nuts, fruit, yogurt, cream, and brown sugar on hand for toppings. You can even do a Reses Oatmeal with cocoa powder, peanut butter, and protein powder! Make a batch of egg bites for grab’n-go breakfasts.
I invested in a programmable rice cooker years back and it streamlined mornings because I could cook oatmeal it. Set it up at bedtime, program it to be ready for the earliest breakfast, and keep it warm for the rest of us. Here’s my rice cooker from Zojirushi and a delish, hearty recipe my kids love.
(Pro tip: I started adding some unflavored protein powder to the oatmeal. I like Whey Cool plain for kids, which you can get from my Fullscript nutritional supplement dispensary.)
If you prefer, you can ditch the whole concept of breakfast food and have a hearty bowl of leftover soup, a bean burrito, or a peanut butter sandwich.
Importance of Blood Sugar Control for Children
According to the SEARCH study in 2023, the incidence of type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents nearly doubled between 2002 and 2018. It is not 17.9 cases per 100,000 children.(1)
These children face enormous health risks as a result of this preventable disease.
Even children who do not develop diabetes often develop fatty liver, which lays the foundation for early heart disease and other poor health outcomes.
Kids are usually even more sensitive to blood sugar swings than adults. If little Suzy eats a sugar bomb like cold cereal, milk, and OJ for breakfast, she will be crashing by the time class starts. When this happens, her fight or flight system is kicked on, and she’s now not only distracted by her hunger but she’s got a lot of adrenaline pumping through her veins, making her fidgety and even a little anxious. If she’s got ADHD or anxiety, it’s going to get a whole lot worse now.
Getting kids grounded with some protein and fat in the morning and lunchtime is a gift that keeps on giving. So ditch that cold cereal and look around for a higher protein option.
Children graduating with a diploma, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver, and high cholesterol
The Crucial Role of Protein in Kids' Diets
Protein does a few things for kids. One, it helps to stabilize their blood sugar, just like it does for adults. Instead of crashing and burning after a bowl of cereal or muffin, some eggs or sausage will help them stay even-keel for hours. The protein is also important for their growth and production of neurotransmitters.
You can get protein from all sorts of food, from animals to plants. Eggs, tofu, tempeh, refried beans, edamame, cheese, fish, chicken, beef, cheese, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, and even protein powders for smoothies can fill this category.
Mixing up your protein sources also helps them get a wider variety of nutrients. Sunflower seeds have vitamin E, and beans have fiber and folate. Red meat is rich in bioavailable iron (important for menstruating teens), and canned oysters are high in zinc.
The protein also keeps them full longer than carbs! And a full child is less distracted and less prone to grazing on more snacks when they get home.
What’s your child eating for lunch?
I know this job can be a challenge, but it’s worth doing well. Sometimes all you need are a few of the right tools and a couple of good ideas to start.
Balancing Nutrients: Fruits, Vegetables, and Whole Grains
You’re going to find that some kids will eat anything you give them, and some will be very restrictive. So you’ve got to work with the kid you’ve got. The variety will often come seasonally. You’ll find many kids want the same thing every day for months only to suddenly never want to eat it again. That leaves you scrambling to find their new fav food. When this happens, start at the beginning with the list. I’ll give you a workbook to make this easier.
Dips can really be your friend when it comes to veggies. A little ranch dip or guacamole can make the medicine go down if you know what I mean. Don’t be afraid to buy a bottle of ranch to serve along with cut-up veggies at school or at home.
Fruit is usually an easier sell. Sliced apples (dipped in lemon or pineapple juice to prevent browning), berries, kiwi or half a banana can be a nice addition.
Creative School Lunch Ideas: Nutritious and Appealing
Don’t put pressure on yourself to make the perfect lunch. This is a marathon, not a sprint.
I’ve talked about nutrition, and now I'm trying to make them appealing.
Bento box lunch: Rather than 5 different containers or plastic bags to open, many kids like the visual appeal of the bento box lunch. You open one lid and the whole lunch of finger food sits in front of you like a little airplane meal. This list has a list of a variety of containers that work.
Toothpics and skewers are really a hit with kids, as long as you’ve cleared it with school. You and I both know which of our kids will weaponize their lunches, so use your best judgement. But filling a skewer up with chese and ham blocks and cherry tomatoes will get eating pretty quickly.
In the workbook, and in my Amazon list I give you links to my PInterest boards for different products from all-in-one lunch box kits to inexpensive plastic ware that divides up the container. Go with what works for your family. You can even Google, “Bento box lunch ideas” and let that give you and your child inspiration. Call them over and ask them what looks good!
Wraps were always popular with my kids. Big whole wheat tortillas smeared with cream cheese, ham, cucumber, and a smear of pesto were easy to eat for little hands.
It Doesn't Have to Be Perfect: Flexibility and Balance
Healthy school lunches and breakfasts really do need to be good enough. And you always need a backup for when the 💩 hits the fan at home. Always have a grab’n-go lunch and breakfast that will keep everyone alive until you’re back on your feet. This could be frozen burritos, premade protein smoothies, beef sticks, cheese sticks, a granola bar and an apple.
You can even keep things like the Jimmy Dean Croissant Sausage in the freezer. Many stores have a read-to-eat section and sell little lunch boxes.
Encouraging Healthy Eating Habits in Children
Hey, I know this can be one of the harder parts of the job. But here’s what makes it easier:
Start as you mean to continue: If your kids are little, decide how your family is going to eat and stick to it.
Set an example: You don’t have to eat a perfect diet. But show them that you are eating actual food for breakfast and sitting down to meals instead of opening a bag of chips and a soda. It sends a clear message. In the end, everyone has better health.
Your job is to train their palette for real food, not junk. You are teaching them habits that will always be with them. You will make their adulthood EASIER, not harder.
Know that this little bit of effort will reduce the risk of your child developing chronic illness dramatically. Just doing this work most days (MOST days, not all) means your child will not graduate with a high school diploma, fatty liver, and type 2 diabetes. It means your child will not have to spend their 20s and 30s struggling with their weight and going on medication before their first real job. You will reduce their likelihood of depression and mental illness, too.
References