The Practical Nutritionist, LLC
Audrey J Pellegrino, Med, MSHN
603-768-3214
It is hard to believe but Labor Day is coming near and that means summer is coming to an end. People begin to pack up their grills, put away their shorts and go school shopping. They also tend to stock up on food items for lunch boxes that would be better suited as time capsule items. You know the ones that I mean that have so many preservatives that they will outlast our life time! School also means parents are a little more pressed for time and so this month I have some suggestions and tips for packing a healthy snack and lunch, either for your children or for you at work.
Planning is what takes the most time, but will have the biggest payoff for you and your child’s health. The first thing to do is to purchase snack size baggies or containers (they are different than the regular sandwich baggies). The baggies hold no more than half a cup and that is a visual reminder to you that a snack should be no more than half a cup (nuts should be ¼ cup). Start by making the things you and your child like to eat healthier. New foods should be introduced one at a time and done in a way that your child doesn’t feel as they lost something but instead has gained something.
The lunch packs that children like so much and are so convenient have a lot of room for nutritional improvement. Begin with the meat and cheeses. Purchase ten slices of quality, organic meat and cheese and then put two a piece into each lunch. Next are the crackers, replace them with an organic whole grain wrap or high quality whole grain cracker. Add a piece of fruit, precut for easier eating and a treat. Children wait for the treat in the lunch packs, and very often eat those and not the other foods. Children do not need a sweet every day, make one day a week a special day and it will be something they look forward to, add non food items as their treat on other days such as a riddle, a fun napkin, a joke, pencils, stickers or a note reminding them how proud you are of them.
When you do make treats have your child help whenever possible. To make a healthy snack line up the baggies and nuts, raisins, dried fruit, seeds and for that one special treat day, chocolate chips. Then your child can help fill several baggies to keep in the refrigerator to have on hand and be ready to go on busy mornings. When you bake cookies, muffins or other baked goods (always better than store bought), have one or two right out of the oven (I cannot resist them completely) but then when they have cooled put one or two into an individual baggie, and freeze them. That way they are ready to go for that special lunch treat and it will stop you from eating twelve fresh out of the oven. To add to the health of baked goods, don’t be afraid to throw in half a cup of dried milk or wheat germ, the nutritional value will go up while the taste remains the same. Adding nuts to the mix or as a topping is also a great way to get a nutritional boost.
If you have a microwave at work or your child has microwave access at school, remember the leftovers from the dinner the night before or a thermos of healthy soup. Chances are they are far more nutritious than school lunch or a prepackaged meal.
Lastly, chose the beverage wisely. High Fructose Corn Syrup is an altered food and as such your body does not process it well. It adds nothing of nutritional value and draws vitamins and minerals from your body while it tries to process it. This makes it a negative nutritional food and should be avoided in juice and soda. Chose a juice that is 100% juice, not just 100% natural because that is not the same thing, even high fructose corn syrup began as a natural substance. If you or your child takes your juice in a reusable bottle, water it down by ½ to get the benefit of the juice without the blood sugar spike and don’t forget to drink plenty of fresh water.
It isn’t always easy making sure you and your children eat healthy away from home, but remember taking little steps and planning ahead will help make big strides toward optimum health.