Packing balanced school lunches that kids will actually eat

Parents of school-age children know: Packing a healthy lunch can be challenging, especially when kids are picky eaters or have limited time to eat. It’s about balancing food items that are nutritious but also likely to be consumed instead of traded, tossed in the trash or left untouched.  

“The best lunch is the lunch your kid is going to eat,” said Robyn Burnside, a registered dietitian nutritionist at UW Medical Center in Seattle. It’s far better for a child’s lunchbox to have one or two familiar foods that they like rather than several nourishing items that are likely to be ignored, she advised. It’s OK to pack a treat like chips or Goldfish to incentivize interest in healthier lunchbox items.  

"Talking about food is really important with kids. Talk in a neutral way about what foods are doing for our bodies, really referencing how they can give you good energy, help you to grow, help your brain during school,” Burnside said.  

Issuing edicts about what food should be eaten, or how much, can be counterproductive, creating feelings of pressure and guilt. The same goes for describing foods as “good” and “bad.” 

Habits established at home — like no cell phone access during meals, and engaging kids in the meal-prep process — also can help ensure that children prioritize eating during lunch periods that in many districts have grown shorter in the past decade.  

If your child is managing ADHD and not feeling hungry during the designated lunch period, Burnside suggested offering small, nutrient-dense snacks that can be eaten at other breaks, like a peanut butter and jelly tortilla, tube of yogurt or apple slices. Also consider offering them a “mini meal” as soon as they are home from school. 

Burnside referenced well-documented healthy foods: protein, carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables, and healthy sources of fat. She thinks that parents have a greater baseline awareness of nutrition nowadays, but might rely too much on social media for guidance. For instance, she perceives a trend to emphasize getting more protein into kids’ diets. This guidance is generally more appropriate for teens, but less important for elementary-age children, whose protein needs are less, she said. 

In terms of cafeteria-prepared lunches, “I think schools are doing a good job of making sure they have the main food groups presented. Kids are getting protein options, they're getting carbohydrate options, they're getting a fruit or a vegetable, sometimes both. And they're getting some source of fat, usually milk,” Burnside said. Options that reflect cultural preferences might be limited, however, and she suggested that parents whose children must observe certain diets should contact the school nutritionist or cafeteria to understand what accommodations to expect. 

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