Section Overview
This section provides basic tips for healthy eating at school for children that buy school lunches and for those whose parents’ pack their lunches. You will also find ways to encourage your child to choose healthy food options at school, including how to avoid food-related peer pressure and foods available at schools that you should encourage your child to limit!
School Lunch Tips
Ensuring children have healthy choices during school lunches can sometimes feel daunting for parents. Whether you are packing your child some home cooked meals, or they are eating the school lunch, there are many ways to ensure your child is getting the nutrients he/she needs.
Below are some tips we hope can help ensure your child eats healthy foods at school.
Packed Lunch
- Use the USDA MyPlate Guide to structure your child’s meals
- Lunch should consist of at least 4 different food groups
- Snacks should consist of at least 2 different food groups
- Pack child-sized portions with food from different food groups
- Allow your child to participate in packing their lunch each day for school
- Remember the ice packs if foods need to be kept cold to prevent foodborne illnesses!
- Want to send cooked food? – pack food in a thermos to keep food warm until lunchtime
- Remember to pack a water bottle for your child to keep them hydrated throughout the day!
Pre-ordered School Lunch
- Print out the monthly school menu from your child’s school website
- Allow your child to participate in choosing their school lunches from the menu for the week/month
- Choose regular skim milk or water rather than juice
- Choose foods on the school menu your child likes and/or has eaten before
- Your child may be less likely to eat a school meal if they’ve never been exposed to the food
Encouraging Healthy Decision Making at School
At school your child is going to be overwhelmed with the freedom to choose! It is important that they know to choose healthy foods and snacks and which foods to avoid. Also, teach your child to be smart with money. Remind them the money should be used to buy a balanced and healthy lunch rather than snacks, treats, or sugary drinks!
The following food and drinks that are often found in cafeterias or school vending machines can be high in fat and/or sugar. Talk to your child about limiting the purchase of the following foods:
- Chips
- Cookies
- Pastries
- Packaged Snack Items
- Sodas & Soft Drinks
- Fruit punch
- Lemonade
- Sweetened Coffees or Teas
- Sports Drinks
- Energy Drinks
Tips to Encourage your Child to Make Healthy Food Choices
- Print out the monthly school menu from your child’s school website
- Sit down with your child and look through all the weekly food options together
- Help your child to identify the healthier food choices available
- Rather than restricting their food options, encourage your child to make their own decisions about which foods are healthier
- Encourage your child to drink water or non-fat/low-fat milk with their school lunches
- Remind your child to choose foods from at least 4 different food groups for a balanced lunch!
- Remember, everything in moderation! – Having chips, cookies, or desserts daily is not a healthy eating behavior, however, once in a while is ok
- Make choosing healthy food options a habit by modeling healthy eating behaviors in your own home!
Navigating Child Peer Pressure Surrounding Food Choices
Children’s eating habits are influenced by both the home and school environments. As your child gets older and becomes more autonomous, your child’s peers may play a role in their food choices. Having conversations about food choices is essential to encourage your child to make healthy food decisions while at school.
- Your child may want to buy sweets, treats, or sugar sweetened beverages if their friends are doing it
- Encourage your child to make healthy food choices even when others around them are not
- Remind your child that sweets and sugary drinks are not prohibited – rather are to be eaten once in a while instead of daily or weekly
- Teach your child to be confident about making healthy food choices even when around their peers
- The best way to instill healthy eating habits in your child is to practice the same eating habits in your home on a daily basis