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Do you have fond memories of sitting around the lunch table at school as a child eating your lunch out of your lunch box? Most of us remember those days, and we remember envying the kids with the cool lunch boxes and the tasty lunches. You can help make sure your child is the one that other children envy around the lunch table.

What is the reason parents don't make healthy lunches for their children? The biggest answer is that the children just won't eat it! If you send cabbage rolls, your child will likely try to trade them away for a bag of chips. Not only do you have to make the food healthy, but you have to make it appealing to your child as well.

The Japanese form of lunch called bento is a fun way to do this. Bento is a Japanese word that means take-away meal. They can include nearly any foods, but where children's lunches are concerned there are a few simple guidelines to follow.

First is the ratio of meat, starch, and fruits & vegetables to include in the lunch. This is the concept that you don't want to send all fruit, or all bread, or all chicken wings for your child's lunch. The ratio is generally 1 part meat, 2 parts fruit or vegetable and 3 parts starch or grain. As I said this is a guideline, not a hard and fast rule.

The next is no candy. That's right zero candy in the the lunch. If you include enough fruit, or foods with slightly sweet sauces, your children won't miss the candy. Also, most children will find ways on their own to get candy they want without you helping or sometimes even knowing about it!

The last rule is no empty space! It may sound strange, but a lunch box that's empty makes the food look smaller. That means the child will think they are eating less than they are, and will feel empty. That will increase their desire to snack and eat junk food which is the exact opposite of our goals here! So, pack that lunch box full even if you have to shoehorn extra carrot or celery sticks in.

What sort of things can you put in the lunches? The easy answer is anything. Some ideas include carrots cut in the shape of flowers, lunch meat in the shape of a favorite cartoon character, or some mashed potatoes sculpted into clouds! Notice how each of the food items can be made into something fun to look at, as well as eat? If children like how the food looks, they will enjoy eating it that much more!

In addition to adding foods that cute, such as grape tomatoes, you can arrange the whole lunch into a picture that will surprise your child when they open their lunch box! There are whole websites devoted to ideas for this, and some lunches I have seen make my jaw drop. My recent favorite was a Star Wars themed lunch with a jawa! These complex themes can be hard to do, but even simple things like mashed potato clouds in a sky with a setting cheese sun, and red pepper streaks of color can be nice!

The finishing touch, once you have this masterpiece ready, is the lunch box. Bento lunch boxes for children come in all shapes, sizes, and themes. Chances are if there is a cartoon your child likes, there is a bento lunch box with that theme. Also bento lunch boxes have the added benefit that they are multiple smaller containers which keep things separate and are fun to open, like treasures!

If you take these small steps, you can help ensure your child is eating a healthy and fun lunch at school!

References

http://lunchi nabox.net/2007/03/07/guide-to- choosing-the-right-size-bento- box/

http://geekadelphia.com/2008/0 9/05/star-wars-bento-lunches-t aste-like-science-fiction/

Learn more about this author, David B Hitchcock.
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