Packing a variety of healthy foods will help make sure your child gets all of the nutrients he or she needs. In addition, healthy eating fuels brain development and learning.

This article offers you information about:

• Planning healthy eating.
• Ways to involve the whole family in healthy eating.
• Food safety.
• Preparing environmentally friendly lunches.

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Plan to Make Healthy Eating Simple
Make your trip to the grocery store fast and efficient by creating a simple lunch and snack menu for the week before you go grocery shopping.

Think in food groups when creating your lunch and snack menu:

• Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide   places foods into one of four food groups.
• The four food groups include vegetables and fruit, grain products, milk and alternatives, and meat and alternatives.
• Choose foods from all of the four foods groups at lunch. 
• Snacks should include foods from at least two of the four food groups.

Limit foods that are high in fat, sugar, salt or calories:

• Example of these foods include potato or nacho chips, cheese spreads, instant noodles, donuts, pastries, cakes, soft drinks, soft drinks, chocolate and candy. 
• These foods provide few nutrients and can curb your child’s appetite for healthier choices.

Try something new:

• Lunches don’t need to be limited to sandwiches. 
• For variety, try to send a range of different kinds of foods each day (see some suggestions for quick and healthy lunches below).

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Don’t forget beverages:

• Provide thirst-quenching water or milk. 
• Avoid sending pop, fruit drinks, lemonade, iced tea, or sport or energy drinks (these drinks are all high in sugar).

Base your shopping list on the foods on your menu:

• Organize your list by grouping similar foods together. This will let you move through the store quickly and help to prevent impulse buying.

Compare costs:

• Pre-packaged lunches may seem like a quick solution. However, these are generally more expensive and less nutritious than homemade lunches.

Here are some ideas for quick and nutritious school lunches:

• Hummus, pita bread wedges, raw vegetables, yogurt and canned fruit.
• Banana bran muffin, boiled egg, carrot sticks, milk.
• Leftover pasta, meat sauce, melon cubes, milk.
• Cold pizza (topped with lean meats), yogurt, apple.

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Make It a Family Affair
Involving the whole family in lunch and snack preparation eases the workload and teaches children valuable skills. Make the experience enjoyable for everyone by:

• Having everything you need within arms’ reach. 
• Assembling reusable containers and cutlery, thermoses, napkins, lunch bags and cold packs before you begin.
• Settting out the items on your lunch and snack menu so that they are ready for packing.
• Assigning each person a task appropriate to their age and skill level. For example, a kindergarten child could put napkins in each lunch bag while a teen makes sandwiches.

Use this time together to share the benefits of eating well and being active.

Play it Safe!
Lunch and snack foods can become unsafe if they are not kept cold enough.

• Cold packs or frozen containers of milk or juice can help to keep foods cool.
• You may need to use more than one cold pack to cool a larger lunch or snack.
• Thermal containers keep hot foods such as soups or leftover casseroles piping hot. These containers can also be used to keep cold foods cold.

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Be Environmentally Friendly
Do what you can to reduce, reuse and recycle the waste that goes hand-in-hand with school lunches and snacks.

• Instead of using paper or plastic bags, outfit everyone in your family with their own lunch kit or fabric lunch bag.
• Pack sandwiches or snacks in reusable containers instead of disposable bags or plastic wrap.
• Buy reusable plastic cutlery. 
• Remind your children and teens to bring their used cutlery home for washing. 
• Send beverages in washable plastic bottles (clean beverage containers and water bottles every day to prevent the growth of unhealthy bacteria). 
• Encourage your school to recycle.
• Encourage using classroom or school composters to recycle some food waste (Can and bottle bins can collect recyclable containers.)

Help your child or teen reap the benefits of healthy eating. Use lunch and snacks to send good nutrition back to school.

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Learn More
Healthy Eating and Active Living for Your 6 to 12 Year Old
Alberta Health and Wellness offers a wealth of practical advice on nutrition (including school lunches and snacks) and active living for school-age children.

Back to School Lunches: A Recipe for Success
The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada delivers practical solutions for creating school lunches that get an A+ for good nutrition.

Eat Well, Play Well: At School!
Dietitians of Canada serves up healthy ideas for school lunches and snacks.

Healthy Lunches to Go
A website from the Canadian Health Network with lots of information, tips, and even videos showing how easy it can be to pack heatlhy lunches for the whole family.

Peanut Butter-Less Lunches
Is your school peanut free? Not sure what you can send? The Niagara Regional Public Health Unit offers easy alternatives.