Healthy School Lunches for Vegetarian Children
Nut-Free Lunch Ideas for Elementary Students
Dec 17, 2008
With the number of vegetarian children on the rise, parents scramble to find healthy snacks to pack in their children’s school lunches. This task can be overwhelming because all nut products are banned from most elementary schools due to severe allergies. Nuts are an important source of protein in the vegetarian diet, so parents must find alternative sources of protein that are appropriate to bring to school. The day of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich is over!
Alternative Sources of Protein for School Lunches
Bringing nut products to school is usually out of the question, but fortunately there are several options for vegetarians and vegans. Major grocery stores carry vegetarian lunch meat that can be used in sandwiches or rolled up to snack on solo. It is made out of soy protein, and will help give children the energy they need.
Cheese and tofu cheese are excellent sources of protein that can be eaten in sandwiches, in tortilla wraps, or on crackers. Mozzarella, cheddar and Havarti are popular flavours with kids. Regular egg salad, or the egg-and-dairy-free version, are great in sandwiches or on crackers. Hummus, which is made from chick peas, comes in several different flavours and is also great on crackers or as a sandwich spread. It is also a tasty dip for raw veggies.
Fruit and Veggies in Lunches
Canada’s Food Guide suggests that girls and boys aged 4-8 eat 5 servings of fruit and vegetables a day, and children aged 9-13 eat 6 servings a day. Assuming children eat a serving of fruit with breakfast, and two servings of vegetables with dinner, their lunches should include 2-3 servings of fruit or vegetables.
Since students receive a set amount of time to eat at school, their lunches should contain foods that are ready to eat. Apples and grapes are great because they do not require peeling at all. Clementines and bananas are good choices because they are easy to peel, while peeling full-sized oranges is time consuming.
Peppers, carrots and celery can be cut into sticks and served with or without dip. Baby carrots are fun for kids, and easy for parents to prepare because they do not need to be chopped or peeled. However, cherry tomatoes can be hazardous since their juice stains.
Tips of Packing School Lunches
It is important to keep in mind that what kids eat at home is not always practical as a school lunch. Students receive a limited amount of time to eat at school, so parents should keep these time frames in mind when packing lunches. Most elementary schools do not have microwaves for student use, so hot foods need to be packed in an insulated container.
Since variety is the spice of life, lunches are more exciting when they are different from day to day. Involving kids in the lunch-making process is beneficial -- this way they will have a say in what they eat. Before grocery shopping, parents can sit down with their children to plan school lunches for the week. Older children can make their own lunches, or help their parents.
Well-balanced and healthy vegetarian lunches can be a lot of fun for kids to eat, especially when they have a say in what they contain. Variety is the key!
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