Back-to-school season is here, and that means kids are fueling up for the remainder of their day during school lunches. There are plenty of ways to keep meals healthy, without sacrificing flavor.
Registered dietician and nutritionist Camille Adams visited the Mix on the AltoGas patio to share tips on ensuring your kids have a healthier meal choice.
For sandwiches, Camille suggests that sandwiches can be made healthier by swapping out breads. Whole wheat is recommended over white bread, and carrots or zucchini can be added with the lettuce and tomato. Try swapping your cheese or mayonnaise with avocado or hummus. Grilled chicken is also an excellent choice instead of lunchmeat.
Think about using leftovers from a family-favorite dinner to use for lunch the next day. Soups, such as tomato, vegetable, or bean, as well as vegetarian or lean ground chicken chili are great hot food options. If spaghetti is a leftover, try having whole wheat noodles for your next dish.
Camille advises that soup and pasta sometimes contain a lot of sodium, so it is best to have them be homemade with little to no salt, or compare nutrition facts of similar products.
While ranch dip is a classic, it can sometimes be full of extra fats. Apples and pear slices can be dipped in low-fat yogurt or peanut butter as a substitute, while carrots, celery, and pepper strips can be dipped into hummus, salsa, or a home made bean dip.
When children are involved in the lunch-packing process, they are more likely to eat that lunch. If you choose to meal prep on a Sunday night, or on an evening where there is extra time, Camille suggests to get children involved in choosing what fruit or whole-grain bread they would likek, or even let them assemble their lunch.
Lastly, while heart disease and stroke are considered to be "adult" problems, a growing body of research is linking that cardiovascular events that occur from risk factors begin developing decades earlier, such as childhood. A healthy diet at a younger age can be a starting point to significantly reducing cardiovascular disease risks.
Visit heart.org for more information.
Follow the FOX 17 Morning Mix on: Facebook, Instagram, & TikTok
