Packing healthy lunches for your children ahead of the school year

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – School starts in only a month, but getting ready for the new school year can look like more than new clothes and backpacks.

Lunch is an important part of every student’s day, and providing your student with a healthy lunch can be the difference when it comes to performing in the classroom. But replacing snacks that are common summer time treats with more healthier options can be hard sometimes.

One health professional says getting your kids involved in this process is a good starting point when it comes to healthy lunches.

“It’s an adventure, right? And so bringing them along on that adventure, allowing them to be engaged and help make choices about what’s going into their lunch. Kids are always going to be more apt to try something new if they had a hand in making it, or preparing it, or packing it,” said Michelle Shaver, a prevention and wellness coordinator with Norton Children’s hospital.

Fruits and veggies provide more energy and can help a child focus in the classroom, which ultimately reflects well on those report cards.

“I’ve seen kids with packed lunches that is a giant bag of Takis. That’s going to look like is, on a long term basis, sure, there are health implications, but on a short term basis, it’s going to look like a sugar crash in the middle of the day. They’re going to be tired, less energized, less able to focus, which can have behavioral impacts,” Shaver said.

Parents and guardians play a big role in shaping their children’s eating habits, because kids often model the examples they see at home.

And with the cost of groceries continuing to rise, she says families who need help can turn to resources like the Norton Children’s food pantry or Feeding America, Kentucky’s Heartland to find healthy food options.