It is that time of year again. The time of year the requires parents and students alike to once again prepare school lunches. For many, this can be a very stressful task. For others, it simply becomes monotonous and easily pushed aside for other things. The truth is that it doesn’t have to be either.
Daytime fuel for children or adults alike should be filled with food and drink that inspires thought, creativity and fills everyone with abundant even energy throughout the day. Does that sound like your lunch? If not, then a change may be in order. Traditionally, lunches evoke visions of “fruit” snacks shaped like everything from dinosaurs to cartoon characters, pudding snacks, sugar rich cookies and granola bars, and sandwiches made with white bread and processed meats with a juice box. Our bodies need vitamins, minerals, and protein to function without the energy crashes that are created by these types of sugary foods. Our bodies can not be expected to perform at optimum levels without the right nutrients to do so. So what changes could be made to the “traditional” school or work lunch?
| Conventional Lunch | New Lunch |
|---|---|
| Sandwich with white bread and processed lunch meat and mustard. | Sandwich with whole grain bread, oven roasted chicken, your favourite leafy greens, sliced tomato, and you choice of stoneground mustards. |
| Store bought Granola bars w/ chocolate chips | Homemade granola bars w/ almonds and dried cranberries. |
| Fruit cups | Fresh fruit (apples, bananas, strawberries, etc.) |
| Store bought cookies | Homemade cookies with oatmeal, dried fruit, almonds, raisins, coconut, or other healthy options. |
| “Fruit” snacks | Dehyrated natural mixed fruit, fruit leathers, apple chips, young coconut chunks |
| “Fruit” beverage in traditional boxes | Natural real fruit juice not from concentrate in reuseable juice containers |
I heard someone tell me once that things are either cheap, easy or fast but they can not be all three. This concept definitely applies to lunch materials. If you are on a tight budget, then buying items in bulk and in their natural form are the cheapest. You will be buying ingredients. This means that you will need to take the time to turn those ingredients into items that are ready to use for lunches. You will need to wash and cut up your own fruits and veggies. You will have to put items into individual containers instead of buying them that way. You will need to make your own snack items. The payoffs are huge. You will have delicious, nutrient rich, natural lunch items at a significantly reduced cost instead of puddings, granola bars, and “fruit” snacks that are laden in high-fructose corn syrup and artificial ingredients. You could roast a few chicken breasts and make your own lunch meats for sandwiches.
If budget is less of an issue but you are tight on time, then a well planned and organized shopping trip will be in order. Make sure that you know what you need and what you are looking for. There is a plethora of companies that make natural, nutritious items for lunches that are ready to take home and use. Everything from pre-cut, pre-washed veggies to individually packed containers of hummus and crackers to pre-hardboiled eggs can be found.
If you are looking for easy, I hate to say it but there is really no such thing. You can make it easier on yourself be designating a few hours a week on preparing for the week. Then your school week will be easier. Lots of busy parents like to organize their items in easy to grab bins. Then in the morning, even the kids can grab items from the organized bins and out the door they go with nothing but good food.
Remember that even a small, simple change can make a huge difference throughout an entire school year.
