3 Tips To Help Ensure Your Child Will Eat Healthy During School Hours

So it's time once again to send your child off to school. If you're like most parents, you will want your child to follow the same rules while at school that they do while at home and this likely includes eating healthy food. Student nutrition is something that is important at most schools, but for best results, your child has to buy into the concept of eating healthy. Here are three tips to keep in mind that might help your child make the right nutritional decisions while at school.

Talk to Teachers About the School Lunch Program

If your child is young enough, you might be able to enlist some help from a teacher or two to make sure someone keeps an eye on your child during lunchtime. But if this doesn't feel right to you, you should at least get another adult at the school to give you a full run-down of everything that is available for sale in the cafeteria. Sure, a lunch menu might be published in the newspaper every week but the school might not be printing a la carte items like bags of chips or cookies that can be purchased on the side. Get a complete picture of what is available at the school during lunch time so you are armed with correct information when talking to your child.

Have Your Child Keep Track of Their Own Nutrition and Reward Them for Good Behavior

If you are trying to keep your child on a diet, take steps to make sure they are as passionate about it as you are. It can be educational for your child to learn about how many calories different foods contain. Get your child to create a running log of what they eat while they are at school and if they stay under the desired calorie intake every week, you can reward them with a trip to the ice cream shop or some other fun place where sweets are available.

Supplement the School's Lunch

If you are on a budget, it might be cheaper to let your child eat lunch at school then to pack them their own lunch every day, especially if the child is receiving financial assistance from the school district for their lunch. But if you want to make sure your child gets the right kinds of vitamins and minerals each and every day, you could consider at least supplementing the school lunch with an item or two from home. For example, if you want to up their vitamin C intake, let them take a juice box or a piece of fruit with them each day, to be eaten in addition to the regular school lunch.

If you want your child to eat healthy at school, talk to them in advance about the importance of good nutrition and don't be afraid to reach out to the school district for additional information or help. Checking in with your child when they return from school each day will hopefully create a healthy eating habit that will last a lifetime. For more information concerning student nutrition, contact businesses such as Servesmart.