The 5 Things You Should NOT Be Packing in Your Child’s Lunchbox
This is a guest blogpost, written by our CSA Coach and Registered Dietitian — Cadie Jardin
As a dietitian, food is obviously important to me.
I understand that we are what we eat — that every day our food choices are either increasing or decreasing our risk of disease and how long we live.
So why have I let my kid’s lunch box stray so far from my expectations?…
I remember my son’s first day of preschool.
I was so excited to pack his lunch the night before.
That’s right, I was excited to pack his lunch. (I wish I still felt that way)!
I went and got all my goodies together — so proud that I felt like I knew what to pack.
Because it was preschool there were certain requirements for the day.
First there was snack: I was opting to pack my own snack, since the school provided juice boxes and animal crackers. (Let’s be honest, they’re cookies).
Here are the preschool lunch requirements: 2 fruits, 1 vegetable, 1 protein, 1 dairy and 2 grains.
Here is what I packed each day that week (yes, I saved the picture from two years ago)
In William’s lunch: chicken, broccoli, banana, plain yogurt (in green squeeze thing), sweet potato chips, applesauce and crackers, with a bottle of water. The sweet potato chips were new for him, so I knew he would think of it as a treat.
I’ll be honest. I was pretty proud.
Then on Wednesday I forgot the applesauce.
Here’s what happened next…
When I picked William up from school I noticed his water bottle was full of juice.
“Hmmm… what gives?” I thought.
Now this may shock you, but in my house, we only drink water or milk. So my child had never had juice before. I really didn’t want him in the habit of drinking sweet things.
I asked the teacher why he had juice in his water bottle.
Brace yourself.
She said it was “because I forgot the applesauce and that William needed ‘another fruit’ for the day.”
She then proceeded to tell me “that it might be easier if I packed a LUNCHABLE with a few juices next time to meet the requirement.”
I was in shock.
Look at my child’s lunch!! It’s better that what most adults are eating! (Am I right?)
And yet here I was being advised to take the shortcut and “just buy a Lunchable” – which I happen to know is full of preservatives, sodium and sugar.
Fast forward two years and here I am taking the easy way out.
No, I’m not packing Lunchables…but I do get some processed items that I’m not proud of (gluten free chicken nuggets from Costco… organic goldfish bags).
Ugh, as a dietitian I can’t believe I’m telling you that.
As we get ready to start the 14 Day Lunchbox Challenge in our CSA, I’m asking myself:
Why have I let this happen?
- Convenience?
- Time?
- Wanting my kid to fit in at the lunch table?
- Wanting my child to feel like he is getting a treat?
Probably a combination of all of them, but it needs to change. I’m sharing this because I want you to know that everyone falls off track – even dietitians.
So as much as I’ve let some things slip up, there have been some absolute NO’s when it comes to planning out our daily lunch box.
I’m going to share them with you now.
As nutrition professional I see no reason why these ever need to be a part of any child’s lunch (or any adults for that matter).
So here we go…
My Top 5 Foods You Should NOT Be Putting in Your Child’s Lunchbox
Caprisuns are loaded with sugar. You can’t consider them juice.
Capri Sun or any other “juice box”
Loaded with empty calories and sugar. I will forever take a stand and insist on water or plain milk. There is no reason to drink sugar, especially as a child. In my experience one of the BEST things you can do for your child’s health is to teach them to drink WATER. No compromises.
Fruit Snacks
I’m sorry but no. I don’t even care if they say “made with real fruit juice,” put them back on the shelf. They will have added sugar. They are basically candy.
Cookie Packs
Aisles and aisles of options; Oreos, graham bears, mini chocolate chip cookies. Trust me, our little ones will get enough cookies and treats throughout the week. There is no need for you to be packing them in the lunchbox.
Somehow chips have become an American staple in lunches. They are totally not good for you.
Doritos/Cheetos/Chips
Don’t keep them around and you won’t eat them. These things are loaded with hydrogenated oils, nasty oils and preservatives. Not good for anyone, let alone a child on a regular basis.
Chocolate Milk
Basically the Frappuccino of childhood right now, a lot of extra sugar added to a beverage that we usually consume. If you would be willing to take plain milk and add 4-5 extra teaspoons of sugar to it…then keep drinking that chocolate milk. Again, we are adding candy to our kid’s lunch boxes. This stuff adds up.
There is a reason why medical professionals are saying this is the first generation that will not outlive their parents.
Chronic diseases are being diagnosed younger and younger; we can change this for our own families. School lunchtime is almost 25% of meals.
What we feed them really matters.
To help our Foodie Audience get better at Lunchbox Training for their Kids, we’ve decided to create the 14-Day Lunchbox Challenge.
Here’s how it works:
Contest begins: Sunday Sept. 16, 2018, 8 AM
Contest ends: Friday, Sept. 28, 2018, midnight
Beginning Sept 16, we want you to commit to 14 days of making your own kids’ lunch healthy and delicious. (If you buy your own lunch, this challenge is not for you!)
This is your chance to get out your rut, try to be more mindful of what your kids are eating, get rid of bad habits, and start re-training their palette.
Who is eligible to participate?
Anyone can give it a go. But to be eligible to win the prize, you must be a resident of the Toledo area and be 18 years or older within the time frame.
STEP 1: Download our “61 Lunchbox Menu Ideas”
On the first day of kick-off, we’ll be sharing our “61 Lunchbox Menu Ideas Cheatsheet” as a free PDF download with our audience. Print this out and post it in your kitchen. It will list over 15 different ideas for each of the 4 categories you should have in your lunch (protein, fruit/veg, carbs, and dairy).
Use it to help you craft your child’s lunch each day.
Step 2: Check our Facebook Page each day of the challenge for a tip
Each day of the challenge, Corinna or I will offer some kind of tip or trick (on our Facebook page) that we’ve uncovered to help you along. We’ll be doing this Challenge right along with you – because we need it as much as anyone!
(If you’re reading this blogpost after the official contest, you’ll be able to access this download at the bottom of this blogpost. Once you subscribe, you’ll be automatically subscribed to a 14 day email series that will give you these same new tips each day of the challenge so you can do the challenge any time of year.)
Join us in the 14 Day Lunchbox Challenge. Build a better lunch for 14 days and share your journey with us on Facebook.
Step 3: Make your first lunch and post a picture with the hashtag #Slfarmslunchbox
Prize: a PlanetBox lunchbox, valued at $55 (See picture above). The winner will be chosen at random by picking a name out of a hat on Sept. 30, 2018. We will announce the winner on our Facebook page.
The Rules:
In order to enter the contest, you must document your journey by posting at least once in the 14 day period. Here are some ideas:
- pictures of the lunch you made along with a recipe
- meal prep hacks you used
- a picture of your child helping you prep
- a failed attempt (don’t expect your kids to 100% like this challenge)
- frustrations or questions
- resources you use to help you
For every post you create, you receive an additional name in the hat at the end of the challenge, increasing your odds of winning. (Up to 14 max).
- Posts must be made on Instagram or Facebook, hashtagged #slfarmslunchbox.
- If you post on your personal page or IG page, just tag us @slfarms (for IG) or @SharedLegacyFarms for FB.
I hope you’ll join us for the 14-day Lunchbox Challenge.
There is always room for improvement; I know we all may be starting from different places.
This is not a challenge that is going to change everything. But it WILL be a valuable learning experience that will hopefully give you some tools to change the way you feed your family for the better.
This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administered by, or associated with Facebook. You understand that you are providing your information to Shared Legacy Farms and not to Facebook . Any photos you take may be used by SLFarms for future marketing purposes.
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