Teachable Moments as Kids Head Back to School
As parents wave a fond farewell to summer and start the search for the best buys on back-to-school supplies, they might give the same thought to what's going into the new, insulated lunchbox as they do the pens and pencils, notebooks, and other essentials that go inside the new backpack.
Although school lunches have become increasingly healthy and most schools participate in the USDA-funded National School Lunch Program, the Connecticut Dietetic Association (CDA) encourages bringing a lunch from home as a good option for cutting costs and ensuring that kids get a well-balanced, nutritional meal.
There are many benefits to a box lunch. Although it takes some advance planning, packing a lunch side-by-side with a young child can provide great teachable moments. Parents can use the opportunity to explain what foods are healthy, what foods are not, and why what the child eats matters, all in a fun, hands-on way, imparting knowledge that will become ingrained in kids' psyches as they continue into adulthood.
Older kids can play a larger role in packing their own lunches and enjoy the autonomy and satisfaction of making well-informed choices about what they eat-and kids of all ages can exercise some culinary creativity, which will serve them well later in life.
I remember when our older son, always a fussy eater, refused to eat school lunches, which were not nearly as diverse and appealing 15 years ago as they are today. Since he wouldn't eat anything but PB&Js, I supplied him with healthy whole-grain bread, natural peanut butter, and jam made with real fruit juice and, starting at age 11, he made his own lunches. He even made his younger brother's lunches until he was old enough to make his own (I don't remember how we conned him into that). Today they are both young men who know how to cook and enjoy cooking for themselves and others-a valuable skill for both genders to acquire.
"All children can play a role in selecting foods for their school lunch," says CDA member and nutrition educator and consultant Susan Furbish, R.D. "To ensure they select healthy options, parents should provide choices that contain whole grains, lean protein, low-fat dairy, and fruits and vegetables."
Furbish suggests making an educational game out of packing a lunch by letting little ones put pre-cut veggies into zip-lock bags while parents make it into a counting game, asking, for example, for five baby carrots and six red pepper slices.
In a country in which childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions, showing not telling kids by involving them in meal preparation-just as encouraging kids to play a sport rather than lecturing them about exercise-will hopefully help them develop a taste for nutritious, fresh food in lieu of empty-calorie, processed fast food. And, as a result, it will help them avoid lifelong weight and related health problems.
Here is a nutritious, delicious, and easy-to-prepare lunchbox recipe from CDA's new cookbook, Connecticut Cooks!, available in local book and cooking stores and at www.dietetics.com/cda.
Amy J. Barry lives and writes in Stony Creek. Email her at aimwrite@snet.net. Read more of her Parent's Eye View columns on www.zip06.com; select Parent's Eye View from the Living pull-down menu.
Chewy Fruit and Oatmeal Bars
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
8 oz. plain, low-fat or fat-free yogurt
1 egg
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tbsp. 1-percent or skim milk
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup all-purpose four
½ cup whole-wheat flour
2 tbsp. ground flaxseed (optional)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon (or apple pie spice)
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup dried fruit (or combination of fruit, nuts, seeds)
Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, combine sugar, yogurt, egg, oil, milk, and vanilla. Mix well. In medium bowl combine flours, ground flaxseed (if used), baking soda, cinnamon or apple pie spice, and mix well. Add yogurt mixture to dry mixture until completely blended. Stir in oats and fruit, etc. Spread into ungreased 9"x13" pan. Bake 28 to 32 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely on wire rack. Cut into bars. Store tightly covered. Makes 2 dozen.
Per serving: 140 calories, 28 g carbohydrate, 3 g protein, 2 g fat