Again today I received an email from environmental/health advocates and read it with concern. If you are a parent, I am sure you are as confused as I with all the dogma that seems to be working on grandstanding to be politically correct. My opinion may be little or it may be helpful. It is my experience and my healthcare training backs claims herein. So take a moment and ease yourself about what is right or wrong, what others are doing or not, and what is socially acceptable with yourself and children. Safety is the last word. If you ever question the safety of the lunch you send, ask the child what time lunch is over, then note the time the child brings that lunch back home. Try eating it then, would you?? Most kids have lunch just one to two hours prior to returning home. Taking that into consideration, the food usually is destroyed and smells, I wouldn’t eat it.
Suggestions included:
preservative free turkey: turkey is number one in food borne illness. I would avoid it unless it is winter and the sandwich is being kept in a very cold area.
yogurt: yes there is helpful bacteria here to support the immune system and there is calcium, but there also is a high risk of ‘going bad’ in warm weather in as little as one hour.
peanut butter: be sure the child is not in a class with others kids who have this allergy. Bringing the item even into the class or lunch room may be dangerous.
milk product drink: this is rarely safe. Water brought from home is also not safe if exposed to excessive heat prior to drinking. Watch where you store the water and refrigerate it prior to putting into the lunch.
washed vegetables and fruits: if this is a closed lunch box without air exchange, the moisture from these items will affect all the other products in the lunch. Soggy chips and bread are usually pitched at lunch. Think before you send broccoli raw, in most kids it produces intestinal gas. School is hard enough without flatulence ridicule.
So what DO you put in there, here is a list of ingredients, make your own ideas:
fruit, organic, if not, peel and cube.
hummus with chips
almond butter, or other nut butters
cheese and crackers
soups in thermos
salsa with chips
healthy fiber/nut/fruit bars
If the child has a morning snack time, then yogurt, homemade pizza bites and small turkey wrap would be ok if you do not live in a warm or hot area of the country. Wait til winter, if there ever is one. It is so hot, today is 114 degrees feels like, ugh!!
Have any other ideas, comment here, positive ideas please.
Have a great year.
Posted on August 18, 2011