Back-to-school

Packing Healthier Choices

We have two very active boys, currently in grades 5 & 2.  The first two years that our oldest attended school, I packed his lunch, not because I believed the school options to be unhealthy, but because he was stubborn and was fearful of going through the hot lunch line.  So I would pack him the same thing day in and day out; sunbutter (made from sunflower seeds due to his peanut allergy) and jelly sandwiches, chips, a fruit cup, sometimes a dessert, and a capri sun or Kool-Aid Jammer.  I would shop at Aldi and buy the big box of individual servings of chips, cheetos and corn chips, and fruit cups of mandarine orange segments or applesauce.  My kids have always eaten whole wheat bread, so I never thought twice about serving him a lunch like this, at least it came from home, right?  Looking back at this typical lunch now, all I see is sugar between slices of sugar, corn and Omega 6's, fruit swimming in sugar, more sugar, oh and to drink - SUGAR!  Not much better than what the school serves, although don't get me started on that.  Kind of turns my stomach now.

Cucumber 'Sandwiches' with smoked turkey breast, celery & homemade almond butter and grapefruit sections.

This one has raw veggies, black olives, peaches from the organic farmers market and a date ball.

The Paleo lifestyle is all about eating unprocessed, whole foods.  Not the adulterated, chemically enhanced, preservative filled, 'fake' junk that we grew up on, and were raising our children on.  Processed foods that come in boxes, and wrappers and cute little pouches are nothing short of GARBAGE!  The food industry has taken whole foods, sucked out the fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other important nutrients, cooked them in unhealthy, astronomically high Omega 6 oils, added more chemicals that you can count, and put the creation down a conveyor belt to have punched out into nice little shapes for you.  Now I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound very appetizing to me.

Kale Salad, raw veggies, HB egg, banana & mock Larabar Bite.

Raw Veggies with red pepper dip, fresh raspberries that we picked and a piece of smoked (wild caught) fish.

So knowing what I know now, about our food system, I was not willing to allow my children to eat this junk on a regular basis anymore.  It seemed they had some version of the same four staples every day at school, and a lot of times, got the same thing at home!  Chicken nuggets, spaghetti, pizza, and hot dogs.  Not to mention sides of macaroni and cheese, roll and whipped potatoes.  It's no wonder so many children are overweight in this country.  Something has gone seriously wrong with our government, and we need to start caring about this!

Kale salad & HB egg, carrots, watermelon and date ball.

Raw veggies, black olives and an apple.

For the first several days of school, I documented what I sent for lunch, basically for when I get in a rut or not sure what to pack.  I can then go back and reference what they hadn't had in awhile.  It is always vegetable based, some fruit and some nuts.  I like to alternate proteins in the form of meat, hard-boiled eggs, and nuts.  And if I do pack a meat, then most times we eat a meat-less dinner.  We eat VERY little processed anything, but occasionally you'll see some nitrate-free, antibiotic free, lunchmeat.  And I recently received some beef sticks from our grass-fed beef farmer.  Again, this is a once-per-week kind of a thing, not something they eat regularly and I consider it to be the best of the worst.

Kale salads, raw, fresh veggies, nitrate-free beef stick from local, humane farmer, Mock Larabar bites, and organic applesauce.

Grapes, celery & homemade almond butter, and HB egg.

I try to use what's currently in season and what I get from the organic vendor at the farmer's market.  When I'm short on time, it's a banana or organic apple sauce.  You'll never see drinks in these photos because my kids never get juice anymore.  Why?  It's pure sugar.  Don't be fooled by "no sugar added" claims or "100% juice".  It's just sugar, a.k.a. fructose that metabolizes quickly into sugar in the bloodstream.  At least with a whole fruit, the fructose is in combination with fiber, which slows the process and you don't get the drastic spikes in blood sugar.  Same goes with chocolate milk, probably consumed by 90% of kids that eat hot lunch at school.  Fruit juices and flavored milks can have upwards of 20-30 grams of sugar, that's as much as some energy drinks or sodas!  My boys get a 12 hour insulated thermos with filtered water each day.  Water is WAY better for the body!

http://www.sugarstacks.com/beverages.htm

Something you will also never see in my kids lunches is dairy.  Did you know that you get more calcium per serving in Kale or Almonds than you do with dairy milk?  If you ever wonder if you or your kids' nutritional needs are being met, enter what they eat in a typical day into http://www.cronometer.com/  or other food app and see.  I think you'll be surprised!  Plus, my youngest son's eczema cleared up within 5 days of cutting out dairy.  Dairy also creates inflammation in the body and exacerbates inflammatory conditions like arthritis, allergies, Crohn's, Psoriasis, Multiple Sclerosis, even Alzheimer's, heart disease and stroke.  Besides dairy, other contributors to inflammation are: 

• Sugar - in all forms.  Best to limit consumption.
• Cooking Oils - Sunflower, corn, vegetable, safflower & cottonseed
• Trans Fats
• Legumes - beans, peanuts etc.
• CAFO meat - found in grocery stores, restaurants & processed meats
• Alcohol
• Refined Grains - flour, bread, pasta, pastries, etc
• Artificial Additives - Aspartame, MSG, and packaged foods

That's not to say we don't occasionally enjoy a glass of wine and an ounce of rBST free, organic cheddar.  ;)

I feel so much better about what my kids are eating now!  And they, for the most part, eat everything every day.  When they don't have time to finish something, they eat it once they get home as their snack.  NOT ONCE have I gotten one complaint from either of them.  They know why we eat this way now and they LIKE it -- they choose it!  And when they are surrounded by other kids at lunch eating trays of processed, brown, fake foods all the time, they don't mind sharing their story and kids are just shocked that they like vegetables!  My hope is that more of you educate yourselves and know what real, whole foods actually are.

Look how colorful and nutricious meals can be!  And it really doesn't take that much time in the morning.  When something is truly important to you (and what should be more important than your health, right?), you make the time.  Healthy eating can be fun, beautiful, delicious, and rewarding!!