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June 2009
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It's one of the first questions I ask my son every day after school: Did you eat your lunch? Half the time, the answer's "kind of." Which means the carrots and apple slices are still sitting in the bag. Now, new research shows most preschoolers who brown bag it aren't getting enough nutrients, largely because parents said they usually pack what they thought their child would eat. One of my biggest battles is all the not-so-healthy snacks at school that the kids fill up on - usually crackers or some other processed carbs, not to mention the weekly cupcakes and cookies for birthdays and other occasions. So one of my New Year's resolutions was to drastically cut down the cookies and crackers at home, and try to cram in an extra bite of oatmeal or blueberries before Jack runs out the door. It's yet another way that I've become my mother. 4 Comments |
Any home-brew brown bagging is great if the parent can take a minute out of their precious schedule to do it... Unfortunatly, most just choose to run their kids through the McDonalds drive-thru, stuff a happy meal in their face and then off to school. And we wonder where obesity really begins..
Most elementary schools have a breakfast program. Unfortunately, they don't have mom or grandma-types to tell them "finish your eggs!" or "stop talking and eat!" SO MANY kids throw full, unopened milk cartons away if you're not paying attention. I worked at a SeaTac Airport area elementary school and all the kids ate were either the sweet or fattening stuff and threw away the fruits and dairy. I was told that I couldn't tell them what to eat, that it's their choice... It was so frustrating, especially since 90% of these kids are in the "free/reduced lunch" category.
Not having time to pack your childs lunch is a sorry excuse...MAKE time. I was guilty of taking my daughter to Micky D's almost every morning until I realized she was gaining weight. I felt bad and decided that her health was more important than the 10 minutes a night it took me to make her a lunch. There are pretty good and healthy TV dinner meals out there that you can buy to make packing lunches a little easier (if your child has access to a microwave which mine does) but, she eats everything. She will get one fruit, a snack (potato chips or a cookie) and a sandwich.
Take time to pack your children's lunch people...and give your child a breafast bar or waffle, or peanut butter on toast with orange juice. It will always be better than MD's.
I choose not to pack my daughter's lunch. Instead I make sure she gets a healthy breakfast and dinner. We never eat at fast food places. Her school lunches are not the best nutritionally, but this way she gets to eat what everyone else is eating and doesn't feel deprived. Imagine being a six year old and eating a sandwich every day when everyone else around you is having chicken nuggets and pizza(most kids in her school get free lunches, so no one brings their own.) I just make sure we don't eat any junk at home. I have a busy schedule but it doesn't stop me from cooking a meal every night.