Nutritious & Delicious: Lunch Swaps That Kids Will Love
Providing kids with healthy lunch options can be a real challenge. During the school year, lunches must be able to last for hours in a lunch box and be eaten without heating. When kids are home, lunches need to be appealing enough to make them pause mid-day play for a meal. It’s often tempting to offer quick, low-nutrient snacks to hold them over until dinner. The good news is creating nutrient-dense lunches does not have to be a struggle! In this article, we’ll share healthy lunch swaps that both kids and adults will love.
The Power of Protein
Protein is a highly underrated nutrient in child nutrition. In many cases, it is not even a consideration when parents plan family lunches. Due to this over a third of child deaths under the age of 5 are related to undernutrition primarily due to protein deficiencies1. The existing dietary recommendations for protein intake in children under 19 are currently being scrutinized. These guidelines, which recommend 11-52 grams of protein per day based on age, were developed using methods that may be questionable.
Recent studies indicate that protein needs could be up to 60% higher than previously estimated2. The current protein recommendations do not consider the needs of physically active children, who require more protein to support muscle and bone growth and recovery. Additionally, these guidelines do not accurately reflect the rapid changes in amino acid absorption in children compared to adults, raising questions about their reliability.
High-protein meals are crucial for growing bodies, as protein serves as a building block for muscles, skin, organs, and bones. A deficiency in protein can lead to various health complications in children, including slowed bone growth, joint pain, a weakened immune system, delayed wound healing, and cognitive issues such as poor concentration, excessive fatigue, and moodiness. Therefore, it’s important for children to consume a diet rich in easily digestible proteins, like those found in meats and dairy products (if tolerated), to support their overall health, growth, and development.
Consequences of Insulin Spikes in Children
Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood sugar levels. After eating the pancreas releases insulin into the bloodstream to help the body use glucose for energy. All foods cause a spike in insulin, however, some foods, such as processed carbohydrates, sugar, and all corn syrups cause a dramatic, but short-lived, spike in insulin. Insulin is similar to roller coasters in that once it reaches the peak it has to come down. This dramatic drop in insulin typically leaves people feeling tired, mentally foggy, and craving another hit of insulin.
In children, this dramatic drop in insulin can lead to behavioral issues because their bodies crave sugar that they are unable to supply. The body’s desire for another rush of insulin can present itself as angry outbursts, uncontrollable energy, emotional breakdowns, unexplainable irritability, and inability to listen to directions. It is best to avoid dramatic insulin spikes in both adults and children by feeding them whole food sources of complex carbs such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Complex carbs digest slower than simple carbs which helps manage blood sugar spikes and provides consistent energy. Children don’t necessarily have to eat a low-carb diet but it is important to be selective about the carbs they consume.
Lunch Swaps Kids Will Love
1
Breaded chicken nuggets SWAP WITH whole grain pita pockets. Pita pockets are a protein-packed lunch that will keep your kids full until dinner. They can be made with grilled or baked chicken, steak, lunch meat, or scrambled eggs – the sky is the limit. Add some veggies and you’ve got a healthy well-rounded lunch.
2
PB&J Sandwich SWAP WITH peanut butter and banana roll-ups made with low-carb or whole wheat tortillas or coconut wraps and sugar-free peanut butter. Traditional peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are a classic childhood favorite that is unfortunately full of sugar. A great alternative is peanut butter and banana roll-ups. Spread sugar-free peanut butter over the tortilla or wrap, place the banana in the middle, and roll it into a banana burrito. Slice the roll into bite-sized pieces, and you’ll have an easy, protein-packed finger food— a great new lunchbox staple.
3
Fruit snacks SWAP WITH real fruit chopped into bite-sized pieces or sugar-free coconut balls. Fruit snacks are another popular childhood treat that are loaded with harmful ingredients like sugar, corn syrup, and artificial food coloring. A healthier alternative is simply giving your child real fruit. If that doesn’t feel exciting enough, try offering sugar-free coconut balls instead. If you haven’t made these before, you can easily find recipes by searching for low-carb, sugar-free, or keto coconut balls. They’re a favorite among health-conscious eaters, so you’ll find plenty of delicious sugar-free recipes. Chances are, you will enjoy these sweet treats just as much as your kids do!
4
Processed snack foods SWAP WITH high protein finger foods. Kids love finger foods—and, let’s be honest, so do most adults! Try swapping traditional non-nutritive snacks like goldfish, chips, and crackers with more nutritious options like lunch meat, pepperoni, cheese, small low-carb tortillas, coconut wraps, nuts, and fruit. Kids can have fun assembling their own wraps or enjoy eating each item separately.
5
Frozen store-bought burritos SWAP WITH Homemade meal-prepped burritos. Burritos are a great option for meal prep. They can be made in large batches and frozen to provide quick, nutritious meals in minutes3. Burritos are great because they’re easy to customize, making them a hit even for picky eaters. You can fill them with a variety of ingredients like ground beef, turkey, chicken, eggs, bacon, sausage, beans, cheese, sour cream, potatoes, and more. For easy-packed lunches, place frozen burritos in lunch boxes so they defrost by lunchtime. If your kids prefer them warm, simply microwave the burritos in the morning, wrap them in tin foil, and store them in a thermos to keep them warm until lunch.
6
Fast food SWAP WITH Non-breaded, homemade chicken tenders or nuggets. Homemade nuggets and tenders make an easy, prep-ahead meal. Just chop chicken breasts or thighs into bite-sized pieces, season with salt and pepper, and bake in the oven or sauté them on the stove. Pack them in your kids’ lunches with their favorite sugar-free dipping sauce for a convenient, high-protein meal they’ll love. When meal-prepping, make an extra-large batch of baked or sautéed chicken tenders or nuggets. Freeze any leftovers for a quick, microwavable meal later. As an added bonus, preparing your own chicken tenders or nuggets is significantly more affordable than buying fast food, and you’ll also benefit from higher-quality chicken.
Childhood Nutrition
From infancy through adolescence, children experience their fastest growth, with every cell in their bodies expanding and maturing at an accelerated pace. This rapid development continues until it naturally slows after puberty. Research shows that inadequate nutrition during adolescence can delay intellectual development, as poor diet-related brain damage affects cognitive growth4. This brain damage can also lead to delayed physical growth and the inability to meet developmental milestones. Nutrition—or the lack of it—impacts every aspect of physical and psychological growth5. Children require a diet rich in protein and healthy fats, with minimal processed carbs and sugars, to support this intense growth phase and foster healthy brain development.
Meeting these nutritional needs can be challenging. Brightly packaged, sugary foods are heavily marketed to kids with eye-catching colors and beloved characters, while the fresh meat and produce aisles often lack this appeal. Despite the low-key packaging, it’s entirely possible to create nutritious lunches that kids will enjoy.
Lunch Swaps Kids Will Love
Children, pre-teens, and teenagers need proper nutrition to function properly; their developing brains and bodies rely on healthy fats and ample proteins for full growth. Poor nutrition during childhood can lead to lifelong physical and psychological challenges. While preparing nutrient-dense lunches may seem daunting, it can become second nature with thoughtful planning, meal prepping, and family teamwork. By creating a family culture around healthy eating, nutritious meals become the norm rather than an exception.
For more tips on family meal planning and prep, be sure to explore our other articles:
Supporting Research
- Uauy R, Kurpad A, Tano-Debrah K, Otoo GE, Aaron GA, Toride Y, Ghosh S. Role of Protein and Amino Acids in Infant and Young Child Nutrition: Protein and Amino Acid Needs and Relationship with Child Growth. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 2015;61 Suppl:S192-4. doi: 10.3177/jnsv.61.S192. PMID: 26598853. ↩︎
- Hudson JL, Baum JI, Diaz EC, Børsheim E. Dietary Protein Requirements in Children: Methods for Consideration. Nutrients. 2021 May 5;13(5):1554. doi: 10.3390/nu13051554. PMID: 34063030; PMCID: PMC8147948. ↩︎
- Nutrition & delicious: Meal prep ideas the whole family will love. Human Health Co. (2024, October 28). https://humanhealthco.com/nutrition-delicious-meal-prep-ideas-the-whole-family-will-love/ ↩︎
- Brown JL, Pollitt E. Malnutrition, poverty and intellectual development. Sci Am. 1996;274:38–43. doi: 10.1038/scientificamerican0296-38. ↩︎
- Rosales FJ, Reznick JS, Zeisel SH. Understanding the role of nutrition in the brain and behavioral development of toddlers and preschool children: identifying and addressing methodological barriers. Nutr Neurosci. 2009 Oct;12(5):190-202. doi: 10.1179/147683009X423454. PMID: 19761650; PMCID: PMC2776771. ↩︎
