Home Real Talk The 5 Golden Rules of a Healthy School Lunch By Alexandra Gabalda Tinybeans Voices Contributor February 28, 2021 Search more like this school ageddeli meatfree printableshow tolunchbox ideasmake timesweet treatswhole grainlunchschool lunchdairycharcuteriepoultrymeal Advertisement Trending Now Viral & Trending Dad Gets Shamed for Using a Leash with 5-Year-Old Quintuplets News Chrissy Teigen Announces She’s Pregnant Almost 2 Years after Losing Jack Viral & Trending This Guy’s Going Very Viral for Nailing the Amazingly Terrible Things About Summer Viral & Trending Michigan Restaurant Closes Early Due to ‘Rude’ Tourists Mistreating Staff Celeb & Entertainment ‘Virgin River’ Season 5 Has Already Started Filming Advertisement #NationalNutritionMonth is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate all the mums and dads who pack lunches every day for their kids despite their busy schedules! Because we want to help you make lunch packing a better experience, we asked Cecile Cottus, a Registered Dietitian in France, to share some of her tips to make things easier for you on a daily basis. Cecile is bringing us her expertise after years of validating menus for schools in Paris.Why Lunch Is So Important for School-Aged Kids Did you know that lunch is actually the real most important meal of the day for a school-aged kid? Breakfast sets us up with energy for the day ahead, after the body has had time to recover during the night. But when it comes to filling up the body and power our kids through their intense school day, lunch definitely holds the place of the most important meal of the day. In other words, if you are packing lunch for your kid, make time to pack a healthy lunch and take this as an opportunity to provide your kids with all the resources they need to stay active, grow healthfully, and learn successfully throughout the day.How to Make It Easy, Tasty… but Healthy? Lunch packing doesn’t have to be complicated. There are small food choices that you can make to simplify lunch packing while covering your kids’ nutritional needs and helping them to develop healthy eating habits.Here are simple food habits that will help you cover your kids’ nutritional needs while making your lunch packing routine simple:1. Fuel their body: Mix grains and veggies2. Help them grow: Choose 1 low sugar dairy3. Make them chew: Choose 1 raw fruit or veggie4. Build them: Choose 1 protein a day is enough5. Pleasure: Treats are ok, but not every day More Tips:Grains: Choose whole grain if possible. Dairy: Less than 10 grams of sugars per serving is ideal. Proteins: Fish fingers and “charcuterie” (deli meat) are not recommended: Choose non-fat proteins like poultry, 5% fat proteins. Treats: Don’t mix bad fat treat with a sweet treat. Check out more of Cecile’s Lunchbox Ideas on Teuko.com Free Resources to Get Started with Healthy Lunch Packing 1. Check out this free printable: 5 Basics you need to know before you get started with lunch packing. GET IT NOW 2. Get inspired: Visit Teuko.com and see what other kids actually eat. VISIT TEUKO This post originally appeared on Teuko Blog. Photo: http://www.teuko.com Alexandra Gabalda Tinybeans Voices Contributor Teuko is the first platform that empowers families to simplify lunch packing. Using Teuko, they can find and share kid-approved lunchbox ideas, recipes, and tips, all in one place. Teuko is transforming the lunch packing experience by boosting inspiration and motivation week after week. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to share on Copy (Opens in new window) Search more like this school ageddeli meatfree printableshow tolunchbox ideasmake timesweet treatswhole grainlunchschool lunchdairycharcuteriepoultrymeal Welcome to our Tinybeans family! Be sure to check your email for new activities, recipes and parenting hacks – and to see if you’ve won! Do you have a dog or cat? Select YES below and click submit to start receiving FREE pet ideas and inspiration, news about new pet products, exclusive offers and limited-time promotions. Yes, I have a pet! Submit GET READY FOR SUMMER! Enter to Win a $250 Gift Card! Enter your email and zip code below for a chance to win a Mastercard Gift Card. 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