Lunch & Snack Nutrition At School

Imagine taking a math test on an empty stomach? How about when you aren't feeling well? Meals at school can make or break your child's functionality. Think about balanced meals that will “stick to your ribs” (as my mom would say!). The object is to provide brain fuel in a way that will slowly release into you child's bloodstream.

Plan Ahead

Planning meals ahead of time gives you a chance to think about what you are eating and make sure you get a fulfilling meal into your diet.

Provide choices: Give your child a chance to help decide what they want to eat for lunch and provide them with healthy options to choose from. This helps your child learn more about what fruits and vegetables they enjoy eating and by helping in the process of deciding what to eat, they are more likely to eat what they are provided.
Make small changes into their normal lunches to make them even healthier by swapping out chips for a piece of fruit or bag of vegetables and making their sandwiches with whole grain bread instead of white bread or potato breads, and adding lots of vegetables into their sandwiches.

Snack time

If you walk through a school you may see multiple snack and soda machines. Unfortunately, these machines are filled with sugary less nutritious choices. Help your child stray away from those options by packing snacks for them. Today, snacks are more common among children; they are eaten throughout the school day.

Some ideas for healthy snacks include, berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries), other fruits (apples, oranges, bananas)
Chopped up vegetables (carrots and celery) with a small hummus dipping cup
Lightly salted popcorn
Nut/seed butters
Home made granola/granola bars
Yogurts (Make sure you check the sugar content! We like Siggi's brand.)
Cheese sticks

To learn more about how to combine foods to provide the best nutrition for your child or yourself speak to your Registered Dietitian or Nutritionist!

Marina works with the families of children with Autism, Asperger's, PDD-NOS, ADD, and ADHD to create a unique roadmap towards improved health. Parents are valued as equal partners and are ultimately responsible for the case management of their child's treatment. Together, a realistic nutrition care plan will be developed to both fit the child's lifestyle, yet meet his or her health needs in a safe manner.

Marina Bedrossian is a Northport, NY dietitian nutritionist who helps people with holistic nutrition solutions and food sensitivities. Visit this page to schedule an appointment and don’t forget to join the private Facebook group “Ingredients For Healthy Families” more information here.