Packing a School Lunch
| We've had dozens of requests for lunch ideas for children who have diabetes - it's a dilemma that also plagues parents of children who don't have diabetes. So we decided to throw out some ideas that we've used in years past and still do for our grandchildren (even though they don't have diabetes, we and their parents insist that they eat healthy). |
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One mom asked if the popular lunch kits that are available in nacho, taco, and pizza, etc. flavors are suitable for a diabetic meal plan. We suggest you read the label-they are loaded with
MSG, fat, and salt, and you don't have control of the quality of ingredients used. Better to make your own lunch kits - using bits and pieces that duplicate the commercial product so that
you know what's going into the kit.
Recently when visiting my 3rd grader granddaughter, I cut up small pieces of leftover grilled chicken breast, cubes of low-fat cheese, and added some baby carrots. All went into a small plastic container that went into her Barbie lunch box along with 2% milk in her thermos and a few of her favorite crackers in a zip-lock baggie. A few seedless grapes completed her meal - all of which she ate. She knew to get a tiny cold pack (this one was in the freezer in the shape of a blue M&M) to keep her food cold. The containers were all empty in her lunch box when she returned home and she told me her friends said they wished they could have the same lunch the next day. The next day, I had her spread a flour tortilla with reduced-fat mayonnaise and cover the mayonnaise with deli-bought sliced turkey, sliced low-fat cheese and a leaf of romaine lettuce (she loves salad). We rolled that up tightly and cut it in half so it'd fit in a zip-lock baggie. She also packed a fresh pear and I gave her money to buy milk at school. Again she thought of getting her frozen M&M to keep her lunch cold and she also packed a napkin. I'd introduced humus to Megan when she was only three years old so when I made some, she wanted to take some for lunch. We had to go to a store for pita bread and she talked me into buying her some seedless grapes. A thermos of milk completed another meal that was totally consumed. Kid-pleasing hot foods such as soup and chili can also go to school in a wide mouth thermos. Don't forget to pack a plastic spoon. Pack fresh fruit or cubes of mixed fresh fruit in a plastic container. Vegetable sticks are always welcome by kids, especially if you include a small container of their favorite low-fat dip. Most kids love to assemble their food on the spot-dipping veggies, stacking slices of meat and cheese on crackers, and so forth. Give them some choices from each food group and let them mix and match as they eat. Don't be surprised if they soon settle on a few favorites and request those week after week. Some other suggestions:
The key is to involve your child in the decisions as to what goes in their school lunch and, as soon as they are old enough, make packing their own lunch a part of their daily routine. If the lunch contains something they've chosen and packed, it's more likely to end up in their tummy than in that of a friend or in the trash barrel. FTG |
