Lack of time, your child’s food preferences, and habitual patterns that frequently drive decision-making make it difficult to pack healthy school lunches. For instance, you might be accustomed to purchasing chips in single-serving bags and tossing them into your lunchbox. After all, it gives your kids what they want and makes your morning routine a little easier because you don’t have to make any decisions or plan ahead. One of the keys to packing a healthier lunchbox—or making any behavior change—is to keep things simple. For more strategies and advice, continue reading.
Three Hints for a Successful Lunch Sack Get together
Since healthy habits begin at home, establish a solid foundation. Knowing that your other family members are all on the same page strengthens the collective effort. Social support is a major factor when it comes to implementing healthy behaviors. Make lunches for everyone in the family with the whole family. Create alternatives. Replace the less nutritious foods with a few healthy options (examples are below). Everyone wants to feel in charge. With two choices, keep it simple. Set guidelines and boundaries, and then let everyone make the choice that’s most appealing to them.
Over the weekend, brainstorm ideas for meals for the upcoming week together. Ask the kids for their advice. Find out what they like and why. It’ll keep them more connected to the mission and teach them about healthful eating. Include fruits and vegetables of various colors to make it into a game. Include food from each group—grains, dairy, fruits, vegetables and protein. Then, go shopping with your friends. Make it a routine, a ritual, a habit. Make it your top priority. More sustainable is gradual change. To increase the chances of healthy habits sticking around, don’t revamp lunchtime all at once. Week by week, replace one item from the lunch box, and periodically evaluate. Compared to sudden menu changes, gradual, consistent change is more effective. Change the “healthy” portion of the lunch each week and establish a focus for the week. It might be the main item one week, the snack the next, and the beverage the week after that. Swaps for lunchboxes Consider your cravings before switching out one food for another. Discuss the reasons why some foods are so enjoyable. Creamy, crunchy, salty, sweet and savory are common sensations that draw people to various foods. Finding a substitute that provides the same sensation can assist in satisfying the craving for that food.