Children and parents often state one of the main reasons food comes back home from school uneaten is because they don’t have enough time to eat. While this may be true in some cases, it also may be more a case of not wanting to take the time to eat or not being interested enough to eat what is provided. Think about how much more appealing food is when you’re hungry. If you have packed smaller portions of food (especially their most preferred foods), the rest of their lunch will look and taste that much better.
Tip #2: Provide foods that are fun and take less time or work to eat
Change up the base for sandwiches; use wraps, buns, croissants, crackers, slider buns, mini naan bread and pitas more often. Call it a sub instead of a sandwich.
Instead of leaving wraps whole, try cutting them into 1/2-1 inch slices for bite-sized pin wheels.
Make meat and cheese or fruit kabobs. Serve melon balls or cut up fruit with small forks or picks.
Take grapes off the stem. Slice apples, pears, peaches, etc. (leave the skin on as it has lots of fibre).
Try sprinkling a little lemon juice or cinnamon on apples to prevent (or hide) browning.
Pre-peel oranges and hard boiled eggs.
Pack dips, dressings or condiments.
Make sure cold foods stay cold and hot foods stay warm. Use ice packs and thermoses.
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The Dietitian's Dish is a new column offering healthy eating tips from GRH's team of registered dietitians. In this edition, Jason DeMaren and Lynn Rogers explore different healthy options for lunches at school.