And now for the last installment in the Back to School series: Food.
There are three things to keep in mind: breakfast, lunch, and snacks.
It's critical that kids start their school days with a nice healthy breakfast. A healthy breakfast doesn't need to take a long time. Instant oatmeal or a non-sugared, whole grain cold cereal topped with some fruit (a banana, chopped apple, some berries) works great.
For lunch, kids may eat in the school cafeteria. If they do, check in every so often to make sure they are making good choices in the lunch line. Especially as kids get older, they can get lunches that are quite unhealthy. Also, choosing the white milk is always the healthier choice. If your kid won't drink white milk, sending along a little chocolate syrup is still better than the other options.
If your kids bring their lunch, get them involved in packing them. They'll take more responsibility and be more likely to eat what they've chosen. Divide their choices into columns: whole grain (e.g., pita triangles, wheat bread, whole grain crackers); dairy (low fat cheese, minimal additive yogurt, etc.); fruit; protein (meat, nut butter, etc.); veggies. For a beverage, try to keep to non-fat milk or water. The occasional cookie as a treat is not a bad thing.
When kids get home from school, they'll likely need a snack to hold them until dinner. Think fruit, hummus and pita, peanut butter on an apple, or a thermos of vegetable soup.
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