Did you know that the typical lunch during the Revolutionary War period of the United States would consist of foods like salty meat and beans? During this period of history food was generally quite simple, though it possessed enough nutritional value to keep people going. Something called Indian pudding, which used indian meal, was a very trendy recipe back in the late 1700s. Many vegetables were canned during the summer and consumed during the long winter months. Corn, mutton, and corn meal were popular base ingredients for many meals.
Today, it is easy to make healthy lunches for you and your family. What are healthy lunch ideas for kids, if you have the time to whip them up?
One interesting thing to do with kid healthy lunches is to make historically accurate period food. Your kid might get a kick out of eating beef jerky, chunky applesauce, hard boiled eggs, or homemade dough nuts, in replica of revolutionary war times.
One way that Japanese mothers encourage their children to eat healthy lunches is to arrange it in pleasing shapes and characters. Bento boxes are neatly arranged and contain small portions of multiple types of food. This process be pretty time consuming depending on how complicated the project is, but it can be simple and quick to adopt little designs into lunches. Many companies make things like toast stamps which are a cheap and fun way to dress up bread. Another option would be to cut sandwiches into funky shapes, like a mouse head.
Another way to encourage healthy lunches is to replicate the type of food kids are drawn to, and just replace it with healthier options. Instead of white crackers with processed cheese, use whole wheat crackers with healthier cheeses or even toppings like hummus if your child likes the taste.
A lot of parents are discouraged by the negative reaction their child has to healthy lunches. One thing to keep in mind is that it takes an average of thirty introductions to a food before a child wants to eat it. Rather than forcing food, experts recommend placing small amounts on their plate without asking or noting either way what they do with it. Sooner or later, they will try it out. French children are raised from a young age to like foods we normally associate with adults, and will happily dine on asparagus dishes and fancy meats.
