How To Balance Nutrients In Student Meals & Snacks
Kids are back in school and whether you’re prepping breakfast, packing a lunch, or doling out snacks to ravenous eaters after school, finding balance between nutritious foods and treat foods is key to establishing good eating habits early.
Katie Fulk, a community outreach registered dietitian for Parkview Health, knows that youngsters can be picky eaters, so parents should aim to find foods their kids like and work in nutritious options whenever possible.
Setting good habits in youth often carries into adulthood, so creating healthy, balanced plates now can put your kids on a good trajectory to better lifelong nutrition, she said.
“We want to find that balance – 80/20 – 80% nourishing and 20% fun foods, making fun foods fit at meals and snacks,” Fulk said. “Our food relationship begins at a very young age. However we foster that relationship with food now is how they’ll eat and feel about food into adulthood.”
So, how to do it?
Start with breakfast, Fulk said, which is important for your student to start up their brain and body ahead of a full day of learning.
“Breakfast is going to greatly determine our appetite at lunch, and lunch and breakfast are very similar in how we want to build these meals,” Fulk said. “We want to aim for at least 3 out of 5 food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy – at our meals, breakfast and lunch alike. That’s going to increase the satiety, or fullness factor.”
So, for example, if you’re having a pancake for breakfast, consider mixing in some berries, spreading on some sunflower butter (a non-allergenic substitute for peanut butter with a good nutritional profile) and/or adding a dollop of protein-rich Greek yogurt. Protein, fiber, and healthy fats are great for making your body feel full, which can carry you to the next meal without getting distracted by a grumbling tummy.
With lunch, aim for the 3-out-of-5 food groups again. Lunchmeat, chicken slices, tuna or nut/seed butters can make great protein options, a piece of fruit or a baggie of vegetables is a good choice (98% of kids don’t get their daily recommendation of two fruit and three veggie servings) and consider whole-grain options for bread, crackers, or snack items.
And don’t hesitate to add in some extras. If providing ranch dip gets your kids to eat vegetables, give them the ranch. If you want to drop in a brownie or some cookies into their lunch box, do it, but without making a big deal that it’s something special, Fulk said.
After school, if your kid comes home starving (some students eat lunch in the 10 a.m. hour and then go several more hours without eating, so they may be legitimately hungry after getting off the bus) aim for 2-of-5 food groups, Fulk said. Again, don’t be afraid to be flexible, but also aim to pair a fun food with a nutritious option.
“So chips, that’s a grain your kiddo needs for energy, especially after a day of using their brains, so I say everything can fit,” Fulk said. “Chips and cheese cubes and apple slices, then we’re satisfied for a longer time and not showing up to our next meal so ravenous.”
Fulk, who provides outreach education around the region, said she doesn’t like to generalize and tell people they can’t eat this or that, especially when working with youth. Trying to ban certain foods from a diet when families come from all kinds of socioeconomic backgrounds, or when parents are dealing with kids who want to subsist solely on chicken nuggets and macaroni, can be counterproductive.
If your child isn’t interested in a specific food right now, don’t try to brute force it, Fulk said. Give it a break and try to introduce it again in the future, or try preparing it differently or including it in something else they do like to eat. People eat with their eyes, too, so apple slices may be more appealing to a youngster than a whole apple, for example.
Try giving your child two options, which narrows down their choices but also gives them some input on what they like, Fulk said. Nutritious foods can only provide nutrients if they’re eaten, so learn your child’s preferences and then try to creatively work with them to expand their menu.
“I don’t want parents to feel pigeonholed, I’d hate to say ‘Don’t send this food with your kiddo’ if that’s what that family has,” Fulk said. “We do still want to remember that adults provide, children decide. Adults get to choose what is in that lunch box or snack, or at dinner. Kids decide how much they want to eat and if they want to eat it.”
“Foster these really healthy relationships with food with kiddos so they can make educated decisions on their own at a young age, and they’ll carry that with them as they get older and leave home for the first time,” she said.
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