Back to school time is so busy that we often look for the easiest and quickest way to get stuff done, this often translates to meal times and packing lunches.  It seems like a pretty easy option to just pack up bagged chips and prepackaged meat/cheese/cracker meals for your kids instead of preparing them a healthy lunch, but is that what you should do?  Kids need the best nutrition possible to help them have better days and energy to learn and play.

So, how can you help?  Well, here are 4 tips for making sure that the kids eat healthy when the go back to school:

Preparing in advance. On Sunday, allow yourself an hour or two to prepare lunches for the week ahead.  This will save you from having to rush to put things together each morning.  

Buy good containers and lunchboxes.  Having good food storage containers and quality lunchboxes is imperative to having healthy lunches throughout the week.  You might even consider investing in bento boxes for the kids as they keep all of the foods very well organized.  Also, make sure that you get good ice packs for their lunchboxes so that you know the food will stay cold throughout the day.

Pack what the kids want.  Give your kids healthy options and find out what they prefer.  If you pack healthy stuff that they like, they will be more likely to eat it and be happy about it.

Use insulated, reusable water bottles.  Instead of sending your kids will sugary drinks every day, but them a good quality insulated water bottle and send them with cold water each day.  Kids will be more likely to drink their daily recommended amount of water if it is nice and cold and they don’t have to go to the water fountain.