Help your child eat healthy at school! Nourish their brains and bodies while also teaching them about nutrition with these tips!

Deep down, you know you cannot control what your child eats at school.

But you can lay the ground rules and expectations that give your child the framework for making reasonably nutritious choices during the school day.

Use school lunch to teach and train your child how to make nutritious food choices. Let me show you how!

Set Expectations for Eating

Most parents don’t want to be too “rule-bound,” or too controlling when it comes to food. But without ground rules or clear guidelines while your child is at school, your child may eat a very unbalanced lunch—like all carbs (potato, bread and pasta).

When my kids were younger, I emphasized the foods in their lunch that I felt were most important for them to eat. For instance, I expected them to eat their main entrée, whether it was a sandwich or leftovers, followed by other items in the lunchbox.

The entrée had the most protein and calories, and I wanted to make sure they consumed that item.

Other foods I asked them to eat included fruit, vegetables and a dairy option (milk or non-dairy substitute, such as soy milk).

You want your child to eat healthy at school. Be clear with expectations around eating most, if not all, of the lunch, and provide some guidance for dealing with chatty friends.

If your child doesn’t get to finish his meal before it’s time to go to recess or back to class, explain that they may be hungrier later in the day. Being hangry can feel yucky, not to mention increase the potential for over-snacking later on.

Teach Your Child How to Choose a Healthy School Lunch

Ideally, a school lunch will cover your child’s appetite and also help them focus in the classroom. School lunches typically showcase healthy meal plan essentials such as an entrée, dairy, grains, fruit, and vegetables.

The National School Lunch Program’s meal pattern provides guidelines for calories and nutrition that all schools who participate need to follow. School food has to be low in sodium, sugar, and saturated fat. And they must provide a specific amount of fruit, vegetables, and grains throughout the week.

Helpful Article: How to Get Kids to Pack a Good School Lunch

Here’s a way to approach choosing a good school lunch using typical school lunch options. Review the menu with your child ahead of time so they are prepared when they get into the lunch line.

Protein Foods

Start with the entrée – it’s typically the protein source and will provide enough calories to give your child the energy to get through the school day.

Protein can be meat, chicken, fish, tofu, or even dairy (the school lunch program puts dairy in the protein group). So, cheese and yogurt do double duty on the school lunch menu as a protein and dairy.

For example, pizza counts as a grain (crust), protein (cheese), and vegetable (tomato sauce).

Grains

Bread, pasta, bagels and rolls are the grains you’ll see on the school menu. And most schools have whole grain options. Add a whole wheat roll or slice of bread to an entrée that doesn’t include a grain already. Your child needs carbohydrates for energy and focus!

Fruit

While 100% fruit juice is considered a fruit serving, whole fruit is the best option. Fruit juice contributes to total sugar intake. A burst of energy may end in a crash later. And whole fruit is loaded with fiber!

Vegetables

School lunches provide vegetables from one of these categories each day: dark green veggies, red/orange vegetables, beans and peas (legumes), and starchy vegetables like potatoes (mashed and french fries).

Your child may not have a choice between vegetables each day. Maybe they won’t like the option one day. Encourage your child to select fruit in that case.

Milk

Schools now offer sugar-free or low-sugar sports drinks, but water or milk is still the best drink option. While sugar-free sports drinks don’t have sugar, they also don’t have the valuable nutrients your child needs.

Kids’ bones are growing right now! So they need a lot of calcium and vitamin D. Not only is milk an excellent source of calcium, vitamin D, and potassium, it has protein and other nutrients.

Dehydration can lead to headaches and difficulty concentrating. Encourage your child to drink water throughout the day (bring a water bottle from home!) when they’re allowed to, especially after gym or if they play an after-school sport.

What about Trading Food at School?

Almost all children trade food at one time or another.

If your child strikes a deal, make sure he follows the “same-same rule:” Make an even swap such as a sandwich for a sandwich or entrée; a dessert for a dessert; or a fruit for a fruit.

You get the idea.

Pro Tips for Choosing a Healthy Lunch at School

Here are a few more tips that have helped other children and their families navigate the school lunch line.

1. Print the School Lunch Menu

When I work with my clients, I encourage them to print out the weekly school lunch menu. This helps parents and kids make choices ahead of time, and get most of the food groups each day.

2. Make a List of Preferred School Meals

I tell my personal clients to make a list of the meals their children enjoy, especially if they have a picky eater. Having a “liked” list handy can help children decide what they’ll eat when they get to choose school lunch.

[Get my workbook: Try New Food: How to Help Picky Eaters Taste, Eat & Like New Foods if you have a picky eater — it’s great for all types of picky eating.]

3. Don’t Stress Out

Don’t let the school lunch menu stress you or your child out! Choosing a school lunch is just one way to show your child how to make healthy choices to satisfy their hunger and have the energy and focus to thrive during the school day.

Allowing your child to make lunch choices is one of the best ways to help teach and train your child about nutritious foods. I talk about this further in this episode of the podcast.

Self-esteem comes from being good at something. Letting your child choose their own lunch at school is another way to build up your child’s skills around food and nutrition!

Need more help with your child’s snacking? Check out this resource!