Shocked at what parents send kids for lunch!

[Stacey2grls]

I had to write a note to my DD's kindergarden teacher so she wouldn't be shocked at the fat content of my daughters lunch and snack everyday. My daughter is underweight she has lost weight over the last six months so her doctor has told me to up the fat content. She has for snack whole fat pringles chips, a small brownie, and her special chocolate milk which I make with don't gasp, half and half! For lunch she has a PBJ sandwhich, yogurt, a donut, and an apple. Mind you with this crazy food plan she only gained 1/2 a pound in the last 6 weeks! On this kind of plan I would have gained 50 pounds for sure!

 

[FreshTressa]

I can't imagine I would feel very good if I had only cookies and pop for lunch.

To me...a treat would be one cookie with lunch.

I guess I just feed my kids differently.

 

[Planogirl]

I had to write a note to my DD's kindergarden teacher so she wouldn't be shocked at the fat content of my daughters lunch and snack everyday. My daughter is underweight she has lost weight over the last six months so her doctor has told me to up the fat content. She has for snack whole fat pringles chips, a small brownie, and her special chocolate milk which I make with don't gasp, half and half! For lunch she has a PBJ sandwhich, yogurt, a donut, and an apple. Mind you with this crazy food plan she only gained 1/2 a pound in the last 6 weeks! On this kind of plan I would have gained 50 pounds for sure!

I had a friend in school who was very thin and she had to drink milk shakes and whole milk chocolate milk a lot! We were all very jealous at the time but of course being underweight is hard.

 

[tw1nsmom]

I have sent lunchables for DD's lunch twice. I don't send soda. She either gets water, flavored water, low sugar juice or V-8. Normally she gets things like turkey sandwiches on whole wheat with mustard, or tuna on whole wheat. I also make her homemade lunchables...turkey pepperoni, low fat cheese, low fat wheat thins, grape tomatoes. Other lunch items are sugar free apple sauce, string cheese, grapes, mini flavored rice cakes, low sugar yogurt, pretzels, oh...and veggie sushi.

I guess my point is, that I hope I wouldn't be judged by the one or two junk lunches I've sent when the vast majority of the time she has the healthiest lunch at the table.

 

[taeja71]

O.k., none of you have mentioned if your school requires PRE PACKAGED foods for lunches. My school requires pre packaged luch foods except thermosed water, juice, or milk. I've packed sliced fruits. There are few things you can get away with. Having pre packaged limits what can be brought and bought. I choke at the price of 6pack of 1 serving size of cottage cheese. I refuse to buy it no matter how much my dd loves it. Not to mention that the cost of pre packaged can get pricey.

 

[FreshTressa]

O.k., none of you have mentioned if your school requires PRE PACKAGED foods for lunches. My dd's school requires pre packaged luch foods except thermosed water, juice, or milk. I've packed sliced fruits. There are few things you can get away with. Having pre packaged limits what can be brought and bought. I choke at the price of 6pack of 1 serving size of cottage cheese. I refuse to buy it no matter how much my dd loves it. Not to mention that the cost of pre packaged can get pricey.

That is terrible!! Why would they do that? That is just the opposite of our diet, we try and eat as few prepackaged things as possible.

What is the logic behind this?

I'm having trouble coming up with any prepackaged food that is low in both sugar and fat.

 

[beckmrk04]

O.k., none of you have mentioned if your school requires PRE PACKAGED foods for lunches. My dd's school requires pre packaged luch foods except thermosed water, juice, or milk. I've packed sliced fruits. There are few things you can get away with. Having pre packaged limits what can be brought and bought. I choke at the price of 6pack of 1 serving size of cottage cheese. I refuse to buy it no matter how much my dd loves it. Not to mention that the cost of pre packaged can get pricey.

I can't imagine what the benefit of this would be! As America gets fatter, it is consistently noted that our reliance on pre-packaged foods isn't helping (I would know- ask the 73 lbs. to go I have to lose ).

I mean- as a treat or every once in a while, sure. But how can you do all prepackaged veggies and fruits? What a pain and that would be so expensive!!

 

[taeja71]

I know its crazy, the school claims its for health and safety reasons. Get real, things were alot worse back in the day when I was in elem. school. I remember working in the cafe. and seeking tater tots or some thing off the tray. Working with no gloves, OMG that's got to be one of the biggest sins in the kitchen now a day.


I agree its hard to find healthy pre packaged foods. I'm tempted to ask the teacher's or office staff if I can bring food that's wrapped in the press and seal. Would that be considered "pre packaged". Just as on the DIS I press my limits at home too.

 

[MosMom]

Typical lunches for Mo are:

- Grilled Cheese, Turkey, Ham, PB, Roast Beef, etc. sandwich
- Grilled Chicken slices with chunks of cheese & crackers (one of her favs because it is like a homemade Lunchable)
- Ants on a log, carrot sticks w/ ranch dip, fruit of some sort - I include a veggie or a fruit but not both. I have to keep it small because she doesn't eat much and likes to chit chat.
- Water (I often send the Clear American waters that are fruit flavored and carbonated or the mini size kid waters) or Juice

I do usually always include some sort of sweet treat. 1 cookie, fruit snack package, rice krispy square, granola bar, etc.

 

[poohandwendy]

I guess I just feed my kids differently.

I guess everyone is different. That is what makes the world so interesting.

 

[beckmrk04]

I agree its hard to find healthy pre packaged foods. I'm tempted to ask the teacher's or office staff if I can bring food that's wrapped in the press and seal. Would that be considered "pre packaged". Just as on the DIS I press my limits at home too.

I would too!! I really think that is ridiculous!

 

[Kimmumum]

LOL, I always send lunchables for field trips. My kids are very healthy eaters at home (there is nothing they will not eat) and I think it is no big deal if they get a sugary, fat filled treat for a few lunch days of the year... I guess it would be different if they were inactive, overweight or unhealthy eaters.

We also eat junk food on vacation.

I guess I am a bad mom. Please do not assume that what you see brought in for lunch on a field trip reflects what kids are eating on any given day.

I agree totally. I figure it is easier and a special treat for field trips.

A couple of years ago I had a job as "lunchmom" at my younger sons school. You would be amazed at the food that is thrown away on a daily basis. Unopened lunchables ($2-$4), bananas, sandwiches, cookies etc. I started telling them to put it back in their lunch boxes and taking home to mom. She is probably still lying on the floor after seeing what is not eating (but also not realizing it was going to be thrown away).

One 4th grader happened to be the son of an acquaintance (sp) of mine. Every day he brought the most delicious looking sandwiches (prime cuts of roast beef on REALLY nice rolls etc) and would throw them away untouched. He did this for weeks. I finally ran into him mom and I told her I thought she might want to know what little Johnny was doing. She was sooooo mad because she was making these sandwiches (approx $4 per sandwich) because he specifically asked for them. She figured the expense was okay if he was eating. The funny thing is...the next day (and every day since) he came in with PB & J and ate the whole thing every day. Kids...can't live with them...can't live without them

 

[aprilgail2]

My daughter gets snack every day for lunch-either a brownie, chips, cookies etc and also cookies for snack time....she takes a gogurt thing or peanut butter as the meal...its all she eats...and then either a brownie or granola bar or sometimes cantaloup cut up....but otherwise I wouldn't send fruit for lunch-to messy and not enough time to peel and eat it......she will only eat peeled apples and if you peel them in the morning they are brown by lunch.lunch is only 20 minutes...she is 6 1/2 and 37 pounds so she is underweight anyway! As long as she stays very active she can have dessert all she wants at lunch. She only drinks lemonade so that is what she gets to drink for both snack and lunch.

 

[kbkids]

My kids do get lunchables occasionally, but mostly, it's PB&J, ham/turkey sandwiches, leftover pizza, etc. I usually send in bottled water, but they do bring Sunny D or Capri Suns too.

But for field trips, our school requires a bottled or canned drink. Simply because all of the drinks are put in one cooler, and they don't want to run the risk of juice boxes and those type of drinks getting punctured. Alot of kids will end up bringing sodas - mine usually do - but they aren't allowed as part of a normal lunch at school.

Unless, of course, you're eating with your child. We're allowed to come have lunch with them at any time and eat on the picnic tables outside or on the stage in the cafeteria if the weather isn't good. It's fair game then - parents bring in fast food, pizza, whatever they want then.

 

[Nancy]

LOL, I always send lunchables for field trips. My kids are very healthy eaters at home (there is nothing they will not eat) and I think it is no big deal if they get a sugary, fat filled treat for a few lunch days of the year... I guess it would be different if they were inactive, overweight or unhealthy eaters.

We also eat junk food on vacation.

I guess I am a bad mom. Please do not assume that what you see brought in for lunch on a field trip reflects what kids are eating on any given day.

Well shake my hand cause I'm a bad mom too. My kids loved those lunchables with the pizza or the nachos...field trip staples. Juice boxes...yep...candy or junk...yep, more field trip staples. If I had given them a sandwich with tomatoes on them they would have thrown them out. Two out of three teenagers in my house now still won't eat tomatoes and neither will their 47 year old father. All those nasty lunches I sent them to school with on field trips hasn't affected them at all now that they are older...they wouldn't touch a lunchable now. They eat healthier than I do.

 

[poohandwendy]

Well shake my hand cause I'm a bad mom too. My kids loved those lunchables with the pizza or the nachos...field trip staples. Juice boxes...yep...candy or junk...yep, more field trip staples. If I had given them a sandwich with tomatoes on them they would have thrown them out. Two out of three teenagers in my house now still won't eat tomatoes and neither will there 47 year old father. DD's now eat wheat bread not white. All those nasty lunches I sent them to school with on field trips hasn't affected them at all now that they are older...they wouldn't touch a lunchable now.

(shaking Nancy's hand, LOL)...funny that you mention that they wouldn't touch it now. My eldest DD is in college and craves the 'good food' when she comes home. There just is not a huge variety of healthy food options on campus. She wouldn't eat a Lunchable now if she was forced.

When she comes home, the first thing she asks is what is for dinner and opens the fridge to find a healthy snack.

 

[FreshTressa]

Hehe...my daughter ate her whole sandwhich!

I guess I don't have picky eaters.

They'll probably end up the pudgy ones cuz they like everything...healthy and not healthy.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I packed my brother's lunch once and sent him to school with pop tarts.

My mother received a call from the teacher. Mom wasn't very happy.

I guess that is what happens when you have a child pack lunch LOL.

 

[robinb]

What kinds of things do you send for lunch? Do you always send dessert?

My DD eats cold lunch almost every day. I send a peanut butter and jelly or honey sandwich every day along with a 100% juice box and a go-gurt. My DD loves dessert, so yes I also send along a cookie or a fruit roll-up. MY DD also loves lunchables and I she had one tonight for dinner. She is a vegetarian and we are omnivores, so we eat different things.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

The only fruit my 2 older ones will eat are apples... peeled and sliced. I can't send that,

lemon juice or orange juice will help with that. That's how I packed my apples when I was in school (I had a bite problem that wasn't corrected until college).