5 Important Reasons Why You Need To Pack Your Kids Lunchbox

Schools offer healthy lunch options for kids, but there are also meals and snacks that are not that too ideal for your growing kids. Your children not only learn different subjects in the school, but it is where their eating habits are also formed in the formative years.

It is therefore important for them to practice healthy eating habits as early as possible because they will bring it through their adult years. When they are at school, it is so easy for them to fall into eating chips, high-calorie and fatty foods. Don’t let your children develop unhealthy food choices.

Packing your kids lunchbox is the only way you can ensure that they are eating healthy. Although it is time-consuming for busy parents, preparing their lunchbox can go a long way. Check out why preparing their lunchbox is healthy in so many ways:

1. You educate your kids to be in control.

Having your kids bring their own lunchbox is the only way you can make sure that they are in control of what they eat in quantity and quality. If you let them buy their own lunch at the school canteen, there’s a big possibility that they can order one, two, three unhealthy meals or snacks that may be high in fat, calories and cholesterol. They may not get satisfied with one serving portion, so it means they spend more and get serving portions more than they need. In the long run, it can make them overweight or obese if this practice will not be stopped right away. If they get the freedom to buy their own foods, they will be free to try oily foods and empty-calorie snacks, which will only add to their weight.

2. You teach your children of forming healthy food choices.

When kids often see their lunch box stuffed with healthy foods, such as lean chicken, fresh carrots, steamed broccoli and a sandwich, you are teaching them how they should eat. They would develop this food pattern until they become adults. One way to teach them how to make decisions when it comes to foods is to offer them healthy choices. Before preparing their lunch box, ask them what they prefer. Is it sliced cucumber, carrots or baked potatoes? All these are healthy options, but it doesn’t look that you are pressuring them to eat a particular kind of food. You are still giving them the chance to decide for themselves.

3. You make sure that your kids eat varieties.

When you prepare your kids’ lunch, you have the option to give them a variety of choices. By exploring different recipes at The Recipe Book or a similar website providing various recipes, you can ensure that their meals are not only diverse but also packed with the nutrients they need. The more varieties you incorporate into their meals using diverse recipes, the more likely it is that they are consuming the right kind of foods necessary for their growth and development. Additionally, this presents the perfect opportunity to introduce new foods to your kids and incorporate their favorite dishes into the mix.

4. You can ensure your children’s foods are fresh.

Preparing your kids lunch is beneficial in many ways because you are assured that they are healthy, even they are eating at school. When you prepare their lunchbox at home, you are satisfied because you know that they are eating fresh foods all the time. Buying foods outside home doesn’t always guarantee safety and cleanliness since noone can really see how they are preparing them.

5. You save money.

One practical reason why it’s good to prepare your kids’ lunch is practicality. When you prepare their meals, you can save big bucks than when you let them buy their own foods at school. When you give them the option to spend, they can buy anything they want that includes some unhealthy ones. Go to the grocery with them during weekends and let them choose the healthy foods they want.

Ivy Walters is a mom of five kids, a writer and an expert cook. She loves trying recipes of different countries. During her spare time, Ivy ensures that she cooks the dishes that her kids love. She is also a health writer and her recent article is about how to treat cocaine addicts.