As students head back to school, that means getting together lunches and after school snacks. One Covenant dietician shared some advice about how to keep the food choices healthy.
“Well, we want to make sure they’re getting a protein, carbohydrate, also they need some dairy, and fruits and vegetables as well,” Lauren Blechle, an outpatient dietician with the Lifestyle Center, said.
One thing Blechle said may be a good way to get kids involved is to let them either help pack their lunch or pick out some of the options that go into their lunch.
“They can pick their own protein option, you can set a list on the fridge, lay out different options that they have for the week, and then they can pick and choose which one would be best for them,” she said.
“You can always make snack options with apples and peanut butter, a little bit more protein, and also there’s some good fats in there, some monounsaturated fats,” she said. “You can always add a vegetable dip, such as hummus, maybe they’ve never tried that before. Maybe you could do Greek yogurt dip with a little ranch flavoring as well, you can build your own ranch without the extra fat.”
Blechle said this can also be a time for adults to remember they can set a good example for their kids.
“As parents or teachers, or anyone who is working with children, we want to make sure we set a good example, we want to be a role model for them,” she said.
“So as long as we are also making good choices and having a balanced meal, making half our plates fruits and vegetables, get a quarter of grains, a quarter of protein, and also some dairy, that’s going to be the best option so we can set forth that good example for our children.”
