A lot of parents are now busy with work and several household tasks that they often forget to plan out the best snack and packed lunch their children will bring at school. Are you one of those parents who will just throw anything they can find in the kitchen? Or, those who prefer to buy ready-to-eat foods from groceries? It’s about time to change this mindset since your child’s health and school performance are at risk.
Here are some examples of the worst foods your children could have at school. You might be surprised that all of them are your child’s favorites.
Peanut Butter and Jelly. It’s a classic and popular American snack for students. It is quick to prepare and could provide the energy your child needs at school. The problem is; it provides your child too little nutrition. Those you buy from the groceries contain too much sugar. Instead of the instant PB&J, why not prepare this sandwich manually using homemade peanut butter, whole grain bread, and add in real fruit salsa or spread.
Processed or canned meat. Luncheon meats, meatloaf, canned sausages, etc taste good and are ready-to-eat. But they are all processed and contain preservatives that could affect your child’s physical and mental health. Instead of buying canned meals, it is better to prepare and cook meat dishes manually. To save time, you can always find homemade sausages and other meat products in the market.
Hamburger and French fries. Popular, cheap, and instant food alternatives for students are fast-food meals particularly hamburger and French fries. Why are they bad? They contain extreme amounts of cholesterol or saturated fats and salt. These harmful elements can cause obesity, coronary, and cardiovascular diseases. If your child really loves burger and fries, why not invent your healthier and homemade version. You could add extra vegetables in it and just fry potatoes using minimal oil.
Fruit snacks. Children also love those fruit-like candies or fruit snacks. As mentioned these are not real fruits but merely candies that contain artificial flavors and sweeteners. If you don’t want your child to develop early diabetes or tooth decay, just give him or her real fruits as snack.
Soda and packed juices. More than 50% of soda’s content is sugar. Not to mention the artificial flavor or coloring used in it. Prefer packed juices instead? Packed or bottled juices are the lesser evil but still evil when it comes to your child’s health. They are still too sweet and contain artificial flavors. Water is by far the best alternative. If your child wants juice, why not extract pure juice from real fruits.
