Lunch Box Basics
If you're concerned about your toddler getting a healthy meal or snack when he heads off to nursery school, daycare or the babysitter's, fix it yourself! He'll like the grown-up feeling of carrying his own lunch box and you'll rest easy knowing he's getting the nutrition he may need. Before you send him packing, however, you may want to consider these tips for healthy meals and precautions against food-borne illnesses.
- Pack frozen foods like bread that will thaw in a few hours and be ready by mealtime.
- Store hot foods such as soup in an insulated container. To pre-heat it, fill it with boiling water, let it stand a few minutes and pour it out before adding the hot food.
- Help keep perishable foods cold in a lunch box by adding an ice pack, which you can make yourself by freezing water in a plastic bottle.
- Chill insulated containers by filling them with ice cold water to help keep cold foods cold.
- Tell your child to keep his lunch box in a cool, shady area away from direct sunlight, a heater or an air conditioner.
- Add a thermos of cold milk to give your toddler a healthy dose of calcium.
- Use whole-grain breads, pitas and tortillas to make nutritious sandwiches.
- Include lots of fresh, dried or canned fruits and vegetables cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Send some protein in the form of lean lunch meat, nuts, cheese or peanut butter.
- Hide a note, a joke or a small gift in your child's lunch box as a special "dessert."
Source: "Blog: Lunch Boxes That Pack a Healthy Punch," by Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., www.mayoclinic.com, September 2, 2009
