Educate to Motivate
No matter how beautifully packaged and healthy your child’s lunch may be, if it comes home uneaten or, worse yet, winds up in the garbage, all your hard work is wasted. Research tells us that children who are involved in preparing their food are more likely to eat it. Therefore, it’s important to get your kids involved from the outset. After all, we know kids won’t eat what they don’t like, especially if you are not there.
Kids of all ages can take part in preparing and choosing the foods that go into their lunches. Young children can wash vegetables and fruit, help with baking and mix sandwich spreads. With guidance, older children can make sandwiches and cut fruits and vegetables, while high school students can independently pack their own lunches. However, it is important to understand that things don’t always go as smoothly as planned. If you are unhappy with the type of lunches that your teen packs, consider getting him to clean up the kitchen after dinner while you start the lunch. Preparing food for someone else is an act of generosity and nurturing. Spend a few extra minutes together packing leftovers and choosing which fruits and snacks to include.
Co-operative meal planning is a wonderful opportunity to teach your children about the importance of healthy eating. Turn to the copy of Canada’s Food Guide starting on this page. Remind your kids of the 4 food groups and explain how each group provides our bodies with a different set of key nutrients. For example, Vegetables and Fruit help us stay healthy by providing us with important vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidants.
Meat and Alternatives provide us with energy, iron and protein. Energy gives us the power needed to accomplish our daily tasks: working, playing, growing and learning. Protein helps us stay alert and provides our bodies with the tools needed to build and repair body tissue. When Brenda’s son, Charlie, was young, he was reluctant to eat chicken sandwiches until she explained that chicken is packed full of protein, the nutrient needed to build strong muscles. To this day, Charlie’s favourite lunch is the Chicken Souvlaki Wrap (this page).
Milk and Alternatives supply us with protein, vitamin D and calcium. Calcium and vitamin D are the nutrients needed to build healthy bones and strong teeth. Building a skeleton without vitamin D and calcium is like building a sandcastle without sand.
Finally, Grain Products provide us with carbohydrates and fibre. Carbohydrates give us energy and supply our brain with the fuel it needs to think and learn. Fibre keeps our bowels working regularly and its intake is associated with reduced risk of various diseases including heart disease, diabetes and obesity.
Canada’s Food Guide
Canada’s Food Guide is designed to help Canadians establish a healthy pattern of eating that meets their nutritional requirements, while lessening the possibility of developing chronic diseases. It does so by recommending the amounts and types of foods Canadians should eat.
Source: Canada’s Food Guide. Health Canada. Reproduced with the permission of the Ministry of Health, 2007.
What is One Food Guide Serving?
Look at the examples below.
Make each Food Guide Serving count …
wherever you are – at home, at school, at work or when eating out!
Eat at least one dark green and one orange vegetable each day.
• Go for dark green vegetables such as broccoli, romaine lettuce and spinach.
• Go for orange vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes and winter squash.
Choose vegetables and fruit prepared with little or no added fat, sugar or salt.
• Enjoy vegetables steamed, baked or stir-fried instead of deep-fried.
Have vegetables and fruit more often than juice.
Make at least half of your grain products whole grain each day.
• Eat a variety of whole grains such as barley, brown rice, oats, quinoa and wild rice.
• Enjoy whole grain breads, oatmeal or whole wheat pasta.
Choose grain products that are lower in fat, sugar or salt.
• Compare the Nutrition Facts table on labels to make wise choices.
• Enjoy the true taste of grain products. When adding sauces or spreads, use small amounts.
Drink skim, 1%, or 2% milk each day.
• Have 500 mL (2 cups) of milk every day for adequate vitamin D.
• Drink fortified soy beverages if you do not drink milk.
Select lower fat milk alternatives.
• Compare the Nutrition Facts table on yogurts or cheeses to make wise choices.
Have meat alternatives such as beans, lentils and tofu often.
Eat at least two Food Guide Servings of fish each week.*
• Choose fish such as char, herring, mackerel, salmon, sardines and trout.
Select lean meat and alternatives prepared with little or no added fat or salt.
• Trim the visible fat from meats. Remove the skin on poultry.
• Use cooking methods such as roasting, baking or poaching that require little or no added fat.
• If you eat luncheon meats, sausages or prepackaged meats, choose those lower in salt (sodium) and fat.
Ideally, a healthy lunch box includes foods from all 4 food groups. Given the daily number of servings required from both Grain Products and Vegetables and Fruit, it makes sense to include at least 2 servings from each of these groups. This may seem like a lot, but bear in mind serving sizes are small. A sandwich made with 2 slices of whole wheat bread or a whole wheat bagel is equivalent to 2 servings of Grain Products. A lunch containing 2 broccoli florets and an apple counts as 2 servings of Vegetables and Fruit. Adding vegetables to sandwiches is a great way to add an extra serving of veggies to your child’s diet.
Get the Kids Involved
Sit down with your children and brainstorm lists of foods that they like from each of the food groups. Use these lists to compile a number of lunches that incorporate all the food groups. For more lunch box ideas go through this book with your children and pick out a number of recipes to try. Our Meal Planners, found in Appendix 1, give examples of healthy lunches that include all 4 food groups.
Think Outside the Lunch Box
Resist the temptation to send your child to school with the same old sandwich, day in and day out. A healthy diet is a varied one. This is because each of the food groups offers a different set of key nutrients, while different foods within each group also provide different nutrients. For example, both salmon and beef contain iron and protein, with beef containing significantly more iron, while salmon is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids.
Creating variety in your children’s lunch boxes also means ensuring they are eating foods with different tastes and textures. Consider alternating between soups (Chapter 5), leftovers (Chapter 7), picnic style lunches (Chapter 4), salads (Chapter 6) and sandwiches (Chapter 3). Even children with limited palates have their favourites, and it just makes sense to rotate them throughout the week.
Once you have come up with a number of lunch box ideas, put the list on the refrigerator and encourage your children to add a few more foods or recipes to the list every so often. From this list, plan out a week’s worth of lunches. This may seem time-consuming, but we know that those who plan their meals in advance have a tendency to eat a healthier diet.
Take your children grocery shopping and occasionally take the opportunity to talk to them about resisting the “kid appeal” of cleverly packaged, processed foods. Young children may make food choices based on what they see their friends eating or what they see on TV. Explain the difference between highly processed foods and whole foods. Highly processed foods tend to be higher in salt, fat, sugar and chemical additives while providing minimal nutritional value. Although it is OK to eat these foods on occasion, eating them daily can cause our bodies to feel slow and sluggish and may lead to excess weight gain.
The easiest way to avoid the appeal of processed and packaged foods is to stick to the outer aisles of the grocery store. If you find your child veering toward the snack aisle, distract her by involving her in the decision-making process. “Should we buy apples or pears today?” Make a point of spending some time in the produce section. Ask her to choose the fruits and vegetables she likes, while encouraging her to pick out some new ones to try. You may be surprised how willing she is to experiment when she makes her own choices.
Eating habits are learned behaviours. Those who are taught healthy habits early are more likely to sustain them throughout their lives. Children who are taught what constitutes a healthy lunch will know how to make one when the time comes. You can help them do this by organizing your refrigerator and pantry so that all the food groups are represented and easily accessible. Use the following chart to help you organize your kitchen.
Organizing Your Kitchen
In the refrigerator you could have:
Milk and Alternatives: yogurt, tzatziki and other dips for veggies, lower fat milk (2%, 1% or skim) or fortified soymilk, light cream cheese and a variety of lower fat cheeses
Meat and Alternatives: precooked meats ready to go for sandwiches, tofu, eggs, hard-boiled eggs ready to go for the lunch box, peanut butter, as well as other nut and seed butters, hummus and other bean dips
Vegetables and Fruit: a large selection of washed fruit and veggies ready to go for sandwiches, salads and snacks. Have a melon, papaya, pineapple or other fruit cut up and ready to eat. When berries are in season, have a selection of washed berries ready for eating.
In the freezer you could have:
Vegetables and Fruit: a variety of frozen fruit and vegetables, as well as homemade vegetable soups
Grain Products: a variety of whole grain breads, wraps, bagels and pita pockets to be used to make sandwiches. Extra homemade baked goods and muffins can also be stored in the freezer.
In the pantry you could have:
Meat and Alternatives: a variety of nuts, seeds, dried legumes, canned tuna, canned salmon, canned baked beans and legumes
Grain Products: a variety of whole grain cereals and crackers, air-popped popcorn, pasta, a variety of whole grains (quinoa, bulgur, whole grain and wild rice) and your own homemade baked goods
Vegetables and Fruit: canned corn, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, canned fruit packed in juice, a selection of dried fruit and a bowl of washed fruit sitting on your counter ready to go.
Developing a Positive Lunch Box Rapport
You can control what goes into your child’s lunch box but not necessarily what goes into your child. Developing a positive lunch box rapport is one of the keys to improving your child’s nutritional intake. Encourage children to bring their leftovers home. As frustrating as it may be to see an uneaten sandwich or apple, keep your comments to yourself. If you harp on it, the uneaten food will likely end up in the garbage and you will be none the wiser.
Knowledge is power. Find out why the lunch is not being eaten. Perhaps there was too much mustard on the sandwich or the tomato made it soggy. If this is the case, simply make the changes and try again.
Find out what it is about other children’s lunches that appeal to your kids. If your daughter is envious of the convenience foods, see if you can offer her some healthier alternatives. Instead of potato chips, try air-popped popcorn or homemade bits and bites (this page). For the occasional treat, there is no harm in a small portion of chips, but opt for baked instead of fried. If packaged cookies or doughnuts appeal, try our homemade cookies, granola bars and healthy muffins (Chapter 8). Your homemade baked goods are almost certainly more nutritious than typical store-bought alternatives.
Many children complain about not having enough time to eat their lunches, but often it’s a matter of conflicting agendas. What 7-year-old boy will take the time to peel an orange when he can be outside playing? For many children, lunch is simply a refuelling stop, and if it takes too long to eat something, they simply won’t. For these kids, “picnic style” lunches composed of ready-to-go, bite-sized morsels of food often work best. Be sure to pack portable snacks, such as an apple or a homemade granola bar, that can be eaten on the go. For more information on picnic style lunches, see Chapter 4.
Children who skip their lunches are often famished when they come home. If this is the case and the leftover food is still fresh, there is no reason why it cannot be eaten after school. However it’s imperative that you never force your child to eat an unfinished lunch. This tactic will likely backfire, ensuring that future leftovers end up in the garbage or, even worse, at the bottom of a locker for months! Furthermore, research tells us that children who are forced or pressured to eat have a tendency to eat less.
What Should My Children Be Drinking at School?
At school, children should drink milk, water or 100% pure fruit or vegetable juice. Canada’s Food Guide recommends that all Canadians over the age of 2 drink 2 cups of milk or fortified soy beverage every day in order to get adequate vitamin D and calcium. However, we know that ⅓ of Canadian children do not get the recommended number of servings of milk products per day.1 Packing milk with lunch is an easy way to improve your child’s odds of meeting this requirement. Milk can be kept cool in a pre-chilled Thermos. (To chill the Thermos, fill it with ice water and let it stand for 5 minutes.) If your child is a reluctant milk drinker, don’t be afraid to flavour it with a little chocolate syrup if this is how he likes it. It is better for your child to drink chocolate milk than no milk at all. Over time you can slowly decrease the amount of syrup you add to the milk.
Juice Abuse
Packing 100% pure fruit or vegetable juice in the lunch box is one way to get a serving of Vegetables and Fruit into your child. However, in the case of juice, it is very easy to overdo it. Children have a tendency to favour sweet foods; preferring apple juice over an apple. And, although the juice contains some vitamin C and minerals, it lacks the fibre found in the whole fruit. Furthermore, children who drink excessive amounts of juice have a tendency to lose their appetite and miss out on important nutrients found in whole foods. Excessive juice drinking can lead to diarrhea and dental cavities. Young juice drinkers tend to turn from juice to soda pop as they get older.
If you are serving juice, always choose 100% pure fruit and/or vegetable juice and limit it to no more than once a day. According to Canada’s Food Guide, half a cup of juice is equivalent to 1 serving. If you serve juice with breakfast, pack milk or water for lunch. Keep soda pop, fruit drinks, fruit cocktails and punches out of the lunch box. Loaded with sugar, these drinks contain little or no real fruit juice. 
The advantage of packing juice and water in a stainless steel water bottle is that it can be refilled with water throughout the day. It is especially important that children drink lots of water on hot days or after physical activity. This is because children are more susceptible than adults to dehydration, which can lead to fatigue, loss of concentration and dizziness. Water is always the best thirst quencher. It adds zero calories to the diet and has little impact on appetite.
Nix the Energy Drinks!
Avoid offering so-called “energy drinks” to your kids. These beverages, loaded with sugar or artificial sweeteners, are designed for extreme athletes and often contain high amounts of sodium, caffeine and other unwanted chemical additives. In fact, some of these drinks contain as much as 10 times the amount of caffeine found in a single can of cola.2 It has long been known that the consumption of caffeine has a negative impact on sleep and can cause hyperactivity in sensitive children. In fact, poor sleep quality and quantity during adolescence has been associated with mood disorders, exacerbation of asthma, obesity, lower sense of well-being and poor school performance.3
Avoiding the Morning Rush
Mornings are hectic times for most families. The best way to avoid the morning rush is to prepare as much as you can the night before. Set out the lunch box and any containers and utensils you may need. Organize the ingredients and wash the fruit and vegetables, many of which can be packaged and stored in the refrigerator overnight. Sandwich spreads can be mixed and many of the salads can be prepacked. To save precious morning minutes, numerous recipes in this book outline what can be done the night before.
Use the weekends to make baked goods and homemade soups. In the same amount of time, you can double or even triple recipes. Ask your child what his favourite dinner is and plan for leftovers. Prepare extra pasta, chili, salad, soup, vegetables and rice. Many leftovers can be frozen in individual containers for later use. Instead of relying on processed meats, which tend to be high in fat, sodium and chemical additives, cook extra meat at dinner to be used in sandwiches. For more information on leftovers, see Chapter 7: Encore Performances.
Avoiding the Lunch Box Landfill
The typical school-aged child packing an old-fashioned “brown bag” lunch creates, on average, an astounding 67 pounds of waste per year. The use of foil, plastic wrap, sandwich bags and single-use packaged items such as granola bars, chips, yogurt, drink cans, cartons and boxes have become the norm. Admittedly these products are convenient, but they come with a long-term cost. Much of this waste ultimately ends up in landfills or incinerators that pump toxic chemicals into our atmosphere.
Instead of brown-bagging it, we would like to motivate you to create litterless lunches. It’s a wonderful way to inspire your children to make environmentally conscious decisions, as well as help them understand how their actions can have a positive impact on the world around them. A waste-free lunch contains no packaging so there is nothing to throw away other than the odd bits of biodegradable waste: banana peels, cherry pits, apple cores, etc., which can all be composted. After all, the best way to reduce garbage is not to create it in the first place.
In addition to minimizing your environmental footprint, waste-free lunches have other advantages. They tend to be healthier and more economical. It is less expensive to buy in bulk. Instead of buying a plastic-wrapped package of 5 individual juice boxes, buy 100% pure fruit juice in bulk and pour it into a stainless steel water bottle. Rather than buying single-serving yogurt containers, buy a large container and make your own yogurt pots (this page). Furthermore, many of the processed lunch box products that are individually packaged and marketed for children tend to be high in salt, sugar, fats and unwanted chemical additives. Talking to your kids about the environmental impact of packaged foods will help them realize how “uncool” these products really are.
The Juice Box Dilemma
A juice box or Tetra Pak is an aseptic container. This means that it is manufactured and filled under sterile conditions and therefore requires no refrigeration or preservatives to remain germ free. They are typically made from 6 layers of paper, plastic and foil that are bonded together. The problem with juice boxes, like that of many single-use drink containers, is that ultimately many of them end up in landfills and, because of their laminated construction, juice boxes are one of the most inorganic items around, retaining their weight and volume for many years to come.
The manufacturers of aseptic containers say they are environmentally friendly. They argue that they take up less room on trucks and require no refrigeration, which ultimately means they use less energy during transportation. Many communities in Canada recycle aseptic containers as part of their municipal recycling program. Juice boxes can also be returned to local recycling depots or to the place of purchase for a deposit refund, and many schools now have juice box recycling programs.
While recycling the Tetra Pak is possible, the fact remains that most North American recycling plants are not equipped for hydropulping, the process needed to recycle aseptic containers. At present the vast majority of recycled Canadian juice boxes are processed in Asia. Just imagine the fuel required to ship and recycle single-use juice boxes around the world.
So consider buying juice in bulk. By packing your child’s drink in a reusable bottle, you are creating less waste, regardless of whether it ends up being recycled or, even worse, in a landfill. It’s just common sense.
The Equipment
Ideally, your child’s lunch box should be large enough to accommodate a Thermos, several reusable containers and a stainless steel water bottle. Over the course of the school year, you will need a number of reusable stainless steel or plastic containers. These containers should be stackable and of varying sizes to accommodate a variety of menu options. If buying plastic containers, choose ones that are bisphenol A free and dishwasher safe. Lids need to be leak-proof but accessible so that young children can open them with ease. Purchase a wide-mouth, stainless steel Thermos. These Thermoses tend to be vacuum insulated, making them more durable than traditional glass Thermoses. Instead of using paper napkins and plastic cutlery, opt for cloth napkins and metal cutlery.
Rather than buying a typical North American lunch box, you can always opt for a “bento style” lunch box. Increasingly popular, bento boxes are modelled after traditional Japanese lunch boxes. A typical bento box consists of a number of sealable compartments within a single lunch box. To learn more about or to purchase a bento style lunch box go to www.laptoplunches.com.
And don’t forget to label everything so that misplaced items have a better chance of finding their way home!
Bisphenol A
Developed over 100 years ago, bisphenol A (BPA) is an industrial chemical used to make polycarbonate, a clear hard plastic. Polycarbonate is used in the production of many household products, including plastic drinking bottles and food containers. It is also found in epoxy resins, which are commonly used to line metal drink and food cans. BPA levels were measured in Canadians for the first time between 2007 and 2009. BPA was found in 91 per cent of urine samples tested. The levels in children were found to be higher than in adults, with levels in teenagers being the highest of all.4
Since the 1930s, BPA has been known to be an endocrine disruptor. This means it can mimic natural hormones in the body. Early childhood development appears to be the period of greatest sensitivity to the effects of BPA. Studies indicate that low levels of BPA can affect the development of the nervous system and subsequent behaviour in lab animals. Further animal studies indicate that BPA may be linked to obesity,5 prostate cancer,6 breast cancer,7 and declining fertility rates.8 While these studies are very concerning, we do not have a definitive understanding of how these findings relate to human health.
In 2008, Canada, concerned for the safety of young children and infants, became the first country to take steps to ban the sale of polycarbonate baby bottles, while continuing to study the effects of BPA on human health.
The government reassures the population that canned foods are safe and can continue to be part of a balanced diet.9 Regardless, it makes good sense to minimize your family’s exposure. One of the best ways to do this is to eat fresh and dried foods more often and look for BPA-free canned goods, which are beginning to appear on supermarket shelves. Any of the recipes in this book that call for legumes can be made with either dried or canned beans. The cooking instructions for dried beans can be found on this page.
When purchasing food and beverages in containers, look for those that are BPA free. Many manufacturers clearly state that their products are BPA free, but if you are unsure, contact the manufacturer. And remember, whether or not your plastic containers are microwave safe, it makes good sense to avoid heating foods in plastic or pouring hot liquids into plastic containers. This is because heat promotes the leaching of chemicals, while cold inhibits it. So while it is considered safe to freeze foods in plastic containers, you don’t want to be heating foods in them.
Lunch Box Safety
School lunches generally sit in the cloakroom or locker all morning long. Prolonged exposure to room temperature increases the risk of bacterial growth and contamination. The easiest way to reduce this risk is to pack your child’s lunch in a thermally insulated lunch box with an ice pack. Ice packs are designed to keep food cold for 4 to 6 hours. Or, to save space, freeze your child’s water bottle or yogurt. By lunchtime the drink or yogurt should be thawed. As a general rule, foods that come out of the refrigerator need to be kept cold. This includes dairy products, eggs, meat and mayonnaise, which should be packed next to the ice pack.
The best way to keep hot foods hot is to preheat your child’s Thermos by pouring boiling water in it and letting it stand for 5 minutes. To keep cold foods cold, pour ice water into the Thermos and let it stand for 5 minutes. Lunch boxes should be cleaned daily with hot soapy water and wiped out once a week with a diluted bleach solution.
The Obesity Epidemic
Obesity is the most common nutrition-related problem in North America, with rates in children that have almost tripled in the last 25 years. Approximately 26 per cent of Canadian children ages 2 to 17 are currently overweight or obese.10 Physical complications of obesity include type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, liver disease, bone and joint problems, respiratory problems (including asthma), sleep disorders and fatigue. Furthermore, overweight children are more at risk for psychological problems such as depression, anxiety and low self-esteem.
Although there is a genetic component to obesity, the rate of increase points to environmental factors. Simply put, childhood has changed. Our children spend less active time playing outside than they used to. Instead they spend much of their free time inside, pursuing sedentary activities such as watching TV, playing computer games and/or texting friends. More children are being driven between home and school and after-school activities instead of walking or riding their bikes as past generations did. We know that over half of Canadian children are not active enough for healthy growth and development.11
Did You Know that Your Child’s Weight May Influence the Onset of Puberty?
Fat cells produce estrogen, the female sex hormone. Because overweight girls have more estrogen in their bodies, they tend to experience an earlier onset of puberty. For boys, this increase in estrogen counteracts the testosterone, causing a delay in puberty.
Our eating habits have also changed. Children are consuming more processed foods and high-calorie beverages, including soda pop, sports drinks, fruit cocktails and even expensive coffee-based beverages. We are dining out and frequenting fast food restaurants more than ever before, and portion sizes continue to increase. As a result, today’s children are consuming many more high calorie foods, while not getting enough exercise to burn off the added calories.
Lean Lunch Box Tips
• Keep highly processed and packaged foods out of the lunch box.
• Limit products made with refined flour like white bread, cookies, cakes, doughnuts, etc.
• Pack water or skim milk to drink.
• Pack fruit and vegetables for snacks.
• Choose lower fat dairy products.
• Avoid using butter in sandwiches and use lower fat condiments, such as low-fat mayonnaise, mustard, tzatziki and hummus.
• Pack higher fibre foods such as whole grain products, beans, lentils, fruits and vegetables. These foods are filling and tend to be relatively low in calories.
• Pack salads with oil- and vinegar-based dressings and avoid high calorie add-ons such as bacon bits, cheese, croutons and creamy dressings.
• Pack lean protein such as tofu, fish, skinless chicken breast, beans and lentils.
• Pack cream-free, vegetable-based soups.
• Offer food in appropriate portions and, if you’re worried that your child will be hungry, pack extra fruit and veggies.
* Health Canada provides advice for limiting exposure to mercury from certain type of fish. Refer to www.healthcanada.gc.ca for the latest information.