Back to the classroom can be made quite interesting by packing interesting and healthy foods for your kids. When the lunchbox has the right meals, the foods contribute much more than just curbing the hunger. Healthy foods are necessary to improve the concentration and focus, boost memory and provide enough energy all through the day. The foods help them to stay alert always and perform better. The healthy foods you prepare at home are more nutritious than those bought from outside. Given below are four best back-to-school lunches for your dear ones.
1. For tiny eaters of 4-5 years old
Pack some shelled edamame, 1 ounce of mini meatballs, 1 ounce of string cheese, blueberries and strawberries. Include one organic juice box too.
This special meal is meant for paying attention. Fruits like blueberries and strawberries are rich in antioxidants. They are very useful for improving the reasoning skills, boosting the ability to recognize, perceive and conceive the information. Antioxidant rich diet that boosts the cognitive functioning in rats may have the same effect in humans. The meatballs and edamame have protein to satisfy hunger till he next meal. Meatballs are made of ground lean beef that contains iron for boosting the concentration. Lean beef is considered to be one of the best sources of iron.
2. For picky eaters of 8-12 years old
Pack fresh cherries, 1 organic low fat milk box and a peanut butter sandwich. The sandwich should be made of wheat banana bread.
The most delicious way to dress up a peanut butter sandwich is by using whole wheat banana bread. Whole wheat is a rich source of fiber. Breads also contain folate. It is a B vitamin that helps in producing the memory cells in brain. Purple fruits and cherries contain antioxidants fro brain boosting for improving the cognitive functioning.
3. Breakfast club for 12-14 years old
Pack a fruit salad, a scrambled egg wrap containing salsa and black beans, a small oatmeal muffin and some water.
According to some research, it is proved that breakfast eaters can do well academically. They have fewer problems related to behavior when compared to the breakfast skippers. According to the reports of the Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Baylor University, at least 37% of children are known to skip breakfast. Try to avoid foods with high sugars as they bring about a mid morning energy crash. The egg wrap has fat, protein and complex carbohydrates for providing your kids with non-stop energy all through the day. Choline is a substance similar to vitamin found in the nuts and eggs. It is very essential for producing memory cells. The more number of cells you have the more is your memory capacity.
4. For healthy eaters of 14-18 years old
Pack 2-3 stuffed grape leaves, 2 ounces of babaganoush and two miniature whole wheat pita breads, pizza salad made of tomatoes, grated milk mozzarella, olive oil, fresh basil leaves, black pepper and sea salt, and a small box of organic low fat milk.
Since there are more number of overweight children, it is our responsibility to see that our children get enough nutrition without adding extra pounds to their body. So it is very important to see what they are eating and help them to choose the right foods. Prepare well in advance and ensure that the foods you make do not turn your children into overweight individuals. The best way to ensure that your children eat veggies can be done with the babaganoush. It is made of eggplant puree. Calcium for the bones can be easily obtained from the milk and cheese. It plays an important role in insulin production. The low fat dairy products can protect your children from obesity.
When you pack the lunchbox with different types of foods, ensure that your children are eating the right stuff on the right time. This will also avoid them from eating junk foods that are unhealthy and cause a lot of health problems. You can also incorporate other important items into the lunchbox according to the nutritional value. Ensure that you are providing all the necessary nutrients for your kids. The lack of certain nutrients can also cause some deficiency diseases. Try to make the lunch very interesting also. Add different kinds of dishes so that your children will enjoy the meals. Packing the same lunch every day may create boredom and make them lose interest in their food. So find new recipes, add healthy ingredients and take proper care for making the foods very healthy and nutritional. This will improve their overall performance.