Brain-boosting lunches for school success

Grade school may have been decades ago for some of us. But you can probably remember some of your favorite and not so favorite lunch options. Whether you picked up lunch from the cafeteria or brought one from home, you probably have some stand outs.

Breakfast gets a lot of praise for being the “most important meal of the day,” but what about that mid-day meal? It’s also important to eat a balanced lunch ̶ especially for young learners.

“Learning takes a lot of energy! Without proper fuel midday, kids’ brains don’t have the energy to meet the demands of learning. Eating a well-balanced lunch with protein, healthy fat, complex carb, fruits and veggies can give kids what they need to learn their best,” says Megan Haugen, Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Care & Education Specialist in Bellingham, Washington.

Some foods are known to be better at boosting brainpower. Foods like broccoli, spinach, blueberries and avocado are great options.

• Leafy veggies: Green, leafy vegetables like spinach, kale and broccoli have vitamin K, folate and beta carotene.
• Omega-3 foods: These foods help with brain function as well as heart health. Foods like flaxseeds, walnuts and tuna are great options.
• Berries: A lot of berries, but especially blueberries, have a high amount of antioxidants. One of the main antioxidants, anthocyanins, gives blueberries the blue color and some of the health benefits.

Keep this formula in mind when packing lunches:

• Protein and healthy fat
• Carb (starch)
• Fruit
• Veggie
• Treat (like dessert, chips or dip)

Protein and fat help kids to feel full and satisfied and provide sustained energy. Foods like meat, chicken, cheese, hardboiled egg, yogurt, nut butter (or sunflower seed butter for a nut-free option) are great options. Including avocado as a source of healthy fat can also provide some extra satiety as well as brain-boosting nutrients like the antioxidant lutein.

Carbohydrates/starches for energy. Brain cells use glucose from carbs as a preferred energy source, so don’t forget to include a carb with lunch! Some ideas include whole grain bread, whole grain crackers, pasta, or tortillas.

Fruits and veggies provide vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. Different colors of fruits and veggies provide different nutrients, so try to offer a variety of colors. Some ideas include cucumber slices, carrots, bell peppers, berries, apple slices, melon, or mandarin oranges.

“Including a treat like a small cookie or muffin or a single serving of chips is a fun addition and can absolutely be part of a well-balanced school lunch,” says Megan.

Packable lunch ideas:

• Spinach and broccoli enchiladas – make them for dinner and then enjoy as leftovers for lunches.
• Broccoli white sauce pizza – who doesn’t love pizza for lunch?
• Energy bites – make them with ground flaxseeds.
• Guacamole – serve it with homemade tortilla chips.
• Popcorn trail mix – throw in a few walnuts or sprinkle with ground flaxseeds.
• Cornbread muffins – add a handful of blueberries to this recipe. The nutty cornbread and sweet-tart blueberries are a great combo.
• Turkey and cheese rollups with cucumber slices, blueberries, cherry tomatoes, and whole grain crackers and a small treat such as a homemade muffin.

Ideas to make food fun

If some of these options don’t seem realistic for your kiddo, then consider presenting them in a different way such as:

• Sorting foods into colorful silicone muffin liners in their lunchbox.
• Using cookie cutters to give foods a different shape. A star-shaped tortilla chip would be fun to dip into homemade guacamole. This can also work great for fruits like apples and veggies like jicama.
• Organizing their lunch in a Bento style box to make their lunch feel special.
• Sending kid-friendly toothpicks to eat with.

Talk to your child’s pediatrician for more advice if your child has preference on food texture or food allergies.