By Neha Esmaeili, MD
Department of Pediatrics

With school back in session, lunch is a frequent topic of discussion in many households. If you take care of a child, you know that encouraging a healthy lunch for them is one thing, but getting them to actually eat and enjoy it is another!

One way to avoid this problem is to involve your children in making their lunches.  The more children are involved with their meals, the more likely they are to enjoy them whether at school or at home.

Start by taking your child along to the grocery store. While at the grocery store, offer them food and beverage choices that fall within the dietary guidelines you are comfortable with.

Here’s some more tips:

• Teach your child the five main food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, protein foods and dairy. All five groups are important parts of a balanced diet. Visit https://www.myplate.gov/ for an easy way to show your child how much of each food group makes a healthy meal. Ideally kids should have five or more servings of fruit and vegetables a day.
• For lunch – or any meal – have your child identify and choose which foods are from which food group.
• Review the menu with your child each week so they feel part of the decision on what will be in their lunch boxes.
• Try not to force a certain food on your child if they don’t want it, but encourage them to try new food in each food group.
• Encourage your child to choose water as their beverage of choice
• Get a lunchbox that comes with an icepack to keep food fresh and safe from spoiling at school.

Check out the American Academy of Pediatrics website for some healthy recipes the whole family can enjoy!