Are Children"s Lunches Nutritious?
Are lunches children take to school nutritious or not? Parents should not be worried about their children's lunches being nutritious if they take the following steps:
1. Plan menus ahead of time
2. Purchase the items they need for the lunches
3. Plan time to prepare them properly
Most of the lunches are nutritious if the parent wants their child to eat healthy. Occasionally, the older children in the family are asked to help make the lunches while both parents are getting ready for work. In these cases, the parents almost never see what goes into the lunch box. This is because they are so rushed in the morning they do not allow time to make the lunches or check what was put in the lunch box.
Parents of young preschool age or school age children need to be educated about nutrition, taught to check the ingredients of the package lunches before buying them, and refrain from putting candy or foods high in sugar or red dyes or sodas in their child's lunch.
The USDA My Plate is a very good guide to follow when choosing a meal plan for the family. It shows that there are four basic food groups plus dairy. These groups are proteins (mest, chicken, or fish), vegetables, fruits and grains. An example of a nutritious lunch for a child should consist of sandwich, such as peanut butter and jelly, a fruit, small amount of chips or pretzels, and milk or water for the drink.
Children should be taught or encouraged to eat their sandwich and fruit first, then chips and dessert. These are habits that will carry them throughout life and they will be healthier, too.
When a child has a donut, or cereal with high sugar content and a lunch high in sugar, they can get what is called a "sugar high". Their body cannot control their actions and miss behaving or acting out in class occurs. This not only disturbs their classmates but hurts their own ability to learn thus the grades will suffer too.
In today's world, children are brought up on fast foods, junk food, salty sugary snacks, and allowed to be coach potatoes playing video games, texting, e-mailing their friends, and watching TV. The parents suddenly realize their child is obese, sluggish, and doing poorly in school.
It is of most importance that parents be role models for their children. Children need to have a proper diet, exercise both inside and outdoors and use their imagination in playing games not looking at a computer screen for hours.
These are just a few ways we, as adults, can help our children, the future leaders of the world tomorrow, grow up healthy, not to be obese, and much better role models for their children than we could have ever been.
1. Plan menus ahead of time
2. Purchase the items they need for the lunches
3. Plan time to prepare them properly
Most of the lunches are nutritious if the parent wants their child to eat healthy. Occasionally, the older children in the family are asked to help make the lunches while both parents are getting ready for work. In these cases, the parents almost never see what goes into the lunch box. This is because they are so rushed in the morning they do not allow time to make the lunches or check what was put in the lunch box.
Parents of young preschool age or school age children need to be educated about nutrition, taught to check the ingredients of the package lunches before buying them, and refrain from putting candy or foods high in sugar or red dyes or sodas in their child's lunch.
The USDA My Plate is a very good guide to follow when choosing a meal plan for the family. It shows that there are four basic food groups plus dairy. These groups are proteins (mest, chicken, or fish), vegetables, fruits and grains. An example of a nutritious lunch for a child should consist of sandwich, such as peanut butter and jelly, a fruit, small amount of chips or pretzels, and milk or water for the drink.
Children should be taught or encouraged to eat their sandwich and fruit first, then chips and dessert. These are habits that will carry them throughout life and they will be healthier, too.
When a child has a donut, or cereal with high sugar content and a lunch high in sugar, they can get what is called a "sugar high". Their body cannot control their actions and miss behaving or acting out in class occurs. This not only disturbs their classmates but hurts their own ability to learn thus the grades will suffer too.
In today's world, children are brought up on fast foods, junk food, salty sugary snacks, and allowed to be coach potatoes playing video games, texting, e-mailing their friends, and watching TV. The parents suddenly realize their child is obese, sluggish, and doing poorly in school.
It is of most importance that parents be role models for their children. Children need to have a proper diet, exercise both inside and outdoors and use their imagination in playing games not looking at a computer screen for hours.
These are just a few ways we, as adults, can help our children, the future leaders of the world tomorrow, grow up healthy, not to be obese, and much better role models for their children than we could have ever been.
