Green your child’s lunch

November 6, 2008 | Leave a Comment

If your child is allowed to bring lunch to school, you are lucky. You may not feel that way when as you face the early morning challenge and you are up packing a meal at 6:30 am that you wonder if he will eat, but you are lucky, because you have some control over what your child eats while he is at school. So lets look at how to make that an even better and safer and healthier opportunity.

ORGANIC AND NUTRITIOUS:
We know that pesticides and other chemicals contaminate our food supply. Most notably lead and mercury. These chemicals can cause serious health problems such as cancer, school learning issues and behavior problems, and hormone disruption. A recent study showed that Children who ate conventional diets had mean pesticide concentrations in their urine 9 times higher than the children who ate organic!
Serve organic food: and focus on high quality proteins and calcium, not grains and sugars. School-age children need at least 800 mg daily through age 8, and 1300 mg daily from age 9 to 13. Lunch might include a serving of Stonyfield Farm organic yogurt (www.stonyfieldfarm.com). Check out earthsbest.com as well for some organic healthy snack foods ways to pack .For children who don’t tolerate dairy, remember to include a calcium-enriched juice. And sources of lean protein include Organic cheese, hardboiled egg (organic eggs high in DHA), organic beans, or high-quality organic meats. Overly processed sandwich meats are high in sodium diacetate, sodium erythorbate, and nitrites.

PACKING BETTER COUNTS:
Save the environment and avoid more metal and plastic toxins by packing your child ‘s lunch in an eco-friendly and fun option that is reusable and safe- Check out the fantastic ones at www.mimithesardine.com. I adore the one with the animals on it and its conveniently sized and very well-made.
Spare the forests by using cloth napkins like I found at www.fabikins.com they are incredably soft and beautifully decorated and you can even order personalized ones to be sure they get home again after lunch.
And finally, pack your food and drink in reusable containers that are BPA free like the ones at www.thermos.com. remember never to microwave in plastic though!

PLAN AHEAD AND ENJOY THE PROCESS
Get your kids involved as much as possible with the shopping and planning of their meals. They can make lunch with you and can pick out healthy fruits and vegetables at the market. Then make a menu for the week so you and your child knows what each day will require- and then sneak in an extra treat of a note or a sticker reminding them that they are special to you. For some healthy recipes check out Laura Pasetta’s latest DVD “The Visual Guide: How To Make A Healthy Lunch For Kids”, along with demos, recipes and shopping lists, can be found at: www.healthychild.com.