The LUNCH Conundrum

Until recently I thought my method of packing school lunches was working well and was efficient. Before I went to the store every Sunday I would ask the boys what fruit they wanted what lunch meat they felt like. I was pretty confident in the choices that I was making for them like…wheat bread, non sugary drink and so on. But what I thought was going all too smoothy soon game to a screeching halt!

Problem:
An e-mail arrived in my in box! (From my sons teacher to me!) She nicely informed me that my son was not eating all his lunch he said the grapes smelled like broccoli and he hated his sandwich! My heart was broken I was a deer caught in head lights of the LUNCH Conundrum! Always Healthy Mom, how could this have happened? You are packing a healthy lunch but the kids are not eating it, this is a problem, and I was very anxious to find a solution!

Take home message:
I don’t think there is one way to raise  a healthy family! It has to be the way that works for your family! What I do might work some days and I might need to be open to new ways as well!
So of course you are asking what did Always Healthy Mom do?

My solution….
First the kids and I agree on everything that I pack, the meat, the bread, the fruit then I have decided to let the kids pick out one thing that I might not approve of for their lunch! This way 80% of the lunch is healthy and I know they are going to eat it and 20% is what they wanted within reason and appropriate portion size, of course!
My thought is  that children need to have positive encouragement but they also need some freedom to make descions on their own. raising a healthy family is a work in progress and I realize it is not going to happenn over night! My kids are learning what the healthy foods are and that they have a say in the foods they choose to eat. My goal is to raise healthy eaters and help guide them to live a heathy lifestyle!

Love,
Always Healthy Mom