WASHINGTON 鈥斅營t’s almost back-to-school time, and parents who pack lunches for their kids face the challenge of putting together a healthy lunch that the kids will actually eat聽and enjoy.
Sally Squires,聽who writes the Lean Plate Club鈩� blog, says聽it really helps to get the kids themselves involved in the lunch-making process. Squires says the level of involvement is likely to vary depending on the age of the child.
Little kids might just help you decide what to make for lunch, whereas older children can make their own lunches 鈥斅爄f you provide healthy ingredients, they can go on from there. And Squires says giving a child a choice is the way to go.
So instead of asking 鈥淲hat would you like for lunch,鈥� you can say, 鈥淲ould you prefer bananas, grapes or apples? Celery or carrots? Apples or diced peaches?鈥澛燭he choice helps to empower kids and they end up feeling like they鈥檙e choosing what they鈥檙e eating.
And don鈥檛 underestimate the power of flavors and texture. Some kids don鈥檛 like lumps or chunks, and it could take seven to 10 tries for a child to accept a new food.
Parents don鈥檛 need to make lunch with a calculator nearby, but calories are worth keeping in the back of your mind.聽It鈥檚 not unusual to overestimate portion size and the number of calories that kids need 鈥斅燼nd that can vary, depending on the child鈥檚 age and activity level:
- Younger teen boys can need 1,600 to 3,200 calories per day;
- Boys 14 and older need 2,000 to 3,200 calories daily;
- Younger teen girls need 1,400 to 2,200;
- And girls 14 and older need 1,800-2,400 calories.
But younger kids just don鈥檛 need that much. Preschoolers need about 1,000 to 1,400 calories per day, while elementary school-age kids need about 1,200 to 1,800. So instead of teaching them to clean their plates, Squires says, they should just eat until they feel full.
As for teaching kids to eat healthy in general, she adds, you need to be a role model: No grazing in the kitchen, no bag of chips in front of the TV and no candy bars in the car. If you鈥檙e going to talk to the talk, you鈥檝e got to walk the walk.
