Back-to-school time means busy schedules, lots of activities, piles of homework and less time to get everything done. To prepare your family for heading back to school this fall make sure you’ve got a plan to keep their school lunches delicious, fun, and healthy. A filling and nutritious lunch will help your child stay focused in school and can make a big difference in their energy level during academics and activities.
Here are a few tips to help you make the best lunch choices as back to school time approaches.
There are a few key things to think about when choosing your child’s lunch.
If school provided lunches don’t offer the choices you want, it is easy to start packing dental-friendly lunches for your entire family.
Creating smile-healthy lunches for your child doesn’t have to be a lengthy and expensive process and can even be fun! Sites like Instagram and Pinterest may have you thinking that preparing a lunch for your child every day is a time consuming and expensive undertaking. But in reality, it is easy and even enjoyable to prepare healthy and enjoyable lunches at home, so you know exactly what your child is eating.
To keep your child’s smile healthy and strong consider adding foods to their lunchbox that help promote tooth health and are also fun and exciting to eat.
Apples, carrots, celery, and pears are all healthy ways to fight bacteria on teeth and help clear plaque with every bite. Include a healthy dip like hummus to make a full and nutritious meal or snack.
Try adding foods like cheese cubes, yogurt, cottage cheese and milk to lunches. The calcium in these foods keeps teeth and bones strong and helps to ward off tooth decay.
Serve up some turkey and cheese lettuce wraps or a salad with hardboiled eggs for a delicious and crunchy lunch option. Be sure to include low sugar dressing and dip options on the side.
Including high protein options in lunches helps strengthen and build tooth enamel. Consider adding foods like sliced turkey and ham, hard boiled eggs, or tuna in sandwiches or wraps to make a full meal.
Vitamins C and D are essential to tooth health. Try adding oranges or red pepper slices to boost vitamin C, and eggs, fish, or mushrooms to add vitamin D to lunches.
While buying pre-packaged individually sized items may be very convenient for lunches, they often include high levels of added sugars and sodium. Try to avoid buying prepackaged foods like cookies, crackers, and chips and opt for quickly cutting up some veggies or including a cup of no sugar added applesauce instead.
Avoid adding drinks like juice and soda to lunches. These drinks are full of added sugars and very little nutrition. Even options like diet or “all natural” drinks are not good choices to protect your child’s smile and oral health. Stick to healthy choices like low-fat milk (for added protein and calcium) or water.
Keep treats healthy. Try substituting in cut up fruits like melon and grapes instead of candy, yogurt topped with granola, fruit and sliced almonds instead of a pudding cup, or for a fun twist, create some simple fruit kebabs by skewering kiwi, apple, strawberries, and banana together. You can even add cheese cubes for an extra punch of calcium and protein.
To help you get started creating healthy lunches that will keep your child smiling, here are a few examples of quick lunch boxes you can easily create at home.
Bento boxes are quick and easy ways to provide your child with easy choices of foods they love. Just imagine it like a healthy snack box! Pick up a multi sectioned container (4-5 sections works best) with a tight-fitting lid. Then, fill in each section with a food you know your child will eat and love. Try to follow this general guide: protein + carbohydrate + fruit + veggies, like turkey slices with cheese, a tortilla wrap, sliced melon and cucumber sticks. Four easy choices make a full nutritious lunchbox. Make sure to pack in lots of tooth-healthy choices and enjoy your child’s protected smile every time they grab their lunch.
Perhaps the simplest thing to put in a lunchbox for good dental health is a toothbrush! Encourage brushing at least twice a day, and after eating sticky, gummy or sugary foods. Pack a toothbrush in your child’s lunchbox to help them develop healthy brushing habits after eating.
Just give our office a call! We can provide information about preventative and restorative dental care for patients of all ages. Or come visit our office to get a closer look at our modern, innovative technologies for dental and orthodontic care for adults and children. We also offer financing options and flexible payment arrangements to assist you in receiving the dental care you need.
Don’t forget to schedule back-to-school cleanings and checkups for the whole family by calling Dentist of Gardena (424) 321-7470 today!
