Packing a School Lunch that makes the Grade!

With back-to-school season in full swing, Culligan is providing tips to help parents ensure their kids get the nutrition and hydration they need to ensure A+ performance throughout the school day. Brown Bag It for Balance While a packed lunch isn’t automatically healthier than one bought at school, it does offer certain advantages. When you pack your child’s lunch you can be sure it includes healthy foods that are also their favorites. Parents should follow balanced diet guidelines, including a mix of the four basic food groups: grains, fruits, vegetables, meat or protein foods, and dairy foods like milk and cheese¹. Just Say No to Soda & Juice Dehydration can lead to a reduction both mental and physical functions, oftentimes affecting a student’s performance in the classroom.  Parents should be picky when selecting a drink for their child’s lunch. Unlike sugary sodas and fruit juices – which can contribute to tooth decay and weight gain, elevate blood sugar levels and attribute to unnecessary caloric intake² – water helps improve digestion and keeps the body feeling fuller longer, helping kids resist the urge to snack throughout the school day. Encourage Your Kids to be Eco-Friendly Americans buy an estimated 29.8 billion plastic water bottles ever year, with nearly eight out of every 10 bottles ending up in a landfill³. Parents can help their kids make a positive impact on the environment by switching out plastic water bottles for reusable, non-toxic aluminum and stainless steel water containers. These eco-friendly water bottle options can be easily filled at home with and refilled while at school; ensuring all-day hydration. Parents can also select reusable plastic containers for food that’s packed in their child’s lunch, instead of plastic baggies that are thrown away after one use. Healthy Hydration Starts at Home Packing clean, fresh tasting water for lunch is a snap when parents have access to bottled-water quality water at the touch of a button. A drinking water system from Culligan provides an endless supply of clean, refreshing drinking water right at the kitchen sink. And with better tasting water always available, encouraging kids to drink water with every meal just got easier. ¹”School Lunches”. Kids Health. Online: http://kidshealth.org/kid/grow/school_stuff/school_lunches.html# 2 “Kid’s health: Benefits of drinking water”. Health and Fitness: Nutrition. Helium.com. Online: http://www.helium.com/items/1825815-children-and-water ³ “Facts About Plastic Bottles”. Earth911.com. Online: http://earth911.com/recycling/plastic/plastic-bottles/facts-about-plastic-bottles/

Posted by Jennifer Griffin at 8/9/2010 9:17 AM