What to do if your child isn’t eating healthy or enough at school; impacts on learning

The school year is well underway,  you may have noticed some things may not be working for your child's school lunch.

What children eat at school is big part of their health growing up, but meal prepping for them can be stressful if they're not eating healthy enough or not eating what you're packing them.

That's why a UMC dietitian is now sharing what you should be prioritizing in their meals.

Clinical Nutrition Manager Christian Martinez says your child always needs a protein, a starch, fruits or vegetables and a drink.

He says parents need to give breakfasts or pack lunches that keep them focused, so avoid foods and drinks high in fats and sugar.

Martinez says it gives them a crash in the middle of the day and they need nutrition and to be alert and awake at school.

Replace it with whole foods, and sodas or other caffeinated drinks with water and 100% fruit juice.

If it's hard for your child to follow these changes, Martinez says you as the parent, have to make the change too. 

"Definitely lead by example, if you are going to include fruits and vegetables into your kids diets, you want them to see that you're also eating those fruits and vegetables, although you might have different likes and dislikes to them," he says. "Definitely showing them that this is something that's done at home and it's only translating to school."

Martinez says to make children like and eat their meals, parents should be creative and patient.

The first step is to include the child in the process, from planning and prepping, to packing and cleaning up.

That way, the child helps by coming up with ideas as to what foods they like and what they tolerate.

Parents will find a way to throw in whole foods, fruits and vegetables that they might not like eating whole, like tomatoes or broccoli. 

Try different shapes or sizes, blend them into soups or juices.

"I think the biggest thing when it comes to children's diet, that's really important to give them some liberty in making them a part of the process," Martinez says. "Food is also part of their culture, it builds memories, and it really goes a long way into being the experience of a human. So it wouldn't be limiting, but rather make it healthy, make it creative and again, make it fun for them."

Martinez also wants to remind parents the importance of food safety.

Hot foods should always remain hot in a thermos and cold foods remain cold in an insulated bag with an ice pack.