Healthy Eating Tips for Back to School Lunches

One out of every three children in the U.S. is overweight or at risk of becoming overweight, according to the Centers for Disease Control. This puts nearly 25 million kids at risk for a future riddled with diabetes, arthritis and heart disease. Specifically Type 2 diabetes, which used to be unheard of in children, has increased tenfold nationally in the past 20 years.

One of the contributing factors to the childhood obesity and diabetes epidemic is an unhealthy diet. Sadly many of the foods on supermarket shelves that target children are high in sugar, saturated fat and offer little or no nutritional value. This back-to-school season, it is critical for parents, food manufacturers and schools to educate our children about healthy eating.

Dr. Peter Praeger is a food executive, parent and doctor that knows first hand about the importance of instilling healthy eating habits at a young age. He is a practicing heart surgeon at New Jersey’s Hackensack University Medical Center and co-founder of Dr. Praeger’s Sensible Foods.

“In my line of work I regularly see patients whose bad eating behaviors were direct contributors to their poor heart health. From those experiences, Dr. Praeger’s Sensible Foods was born in 1994,” noted Praeger. “We need to instill healthy eating habits into our children’s lives at an early age so sensible eating becomes second nature. This is why I have developed these easy sensible eating tips for kids.”

• Focus on Eating Sensibly – Don’t deprive children of the foods they enjoy. A sensible diet is one of moderation and mixture of healthy and fun items like ice cream, candy and soft drinks every once in a while.

• Make Eating Fun – Junk food, fast food and candy manufacturers are not the only ones producing kid-friendly items. For example, our Dr. Praeger’s Kids line includes fun-shaped, bite-size “Littles,” in spinach, broccoli, sweet potato and potato pancake varieties.

• Try to Avoid Carbohydrates and Fats Together – If your child’s meal is high in fat or carbs, substitute vegetables, fruit or a salad instead of the usual fries or chips to cut down on your child’s carb and fat intake.

• Set Healthy Living Goals – It’s okay to reward healthy eating in the same way we often reward good behavior or good grades. A good healthy eating foundation, over time, will become routine to children.

• Find Healthy Twists on Conventional Foods – Try substituting a wheat tortilla or whole grain bread for white bread when making sandwiches, look for pasta made from whole wheat flour instead of enriched white flour or perhaps substitute one of our Dr. Praeger’s veggie burgers for ground hamburger.

• Reach for Water – Substitute water instead of soft drinks. It curbs your child’s appetite, helps with digestion, keeps them hydrated and cuts down on empty calories and sugar intake.

• Eat All-Natural – Try to avoid processed foods and items high in trans fats, cholesterol and sodium. All of our Dr. Praeger’s products contain all-natural ingredients, no preservatives and are Kosher. Many of our products are also gluten-free, making them perfect for children with Celiac’s disease or autism.

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