With the school year back in full swing for most of us, I thought we could all use a good reminder of what we shouldn’t be sending to school in our kids’ lunches. Whether for expense or for health reasons, you should keep certain things out of their lunch bags.

Here are 6 things to avoid packing in your kids’ lunch this school year.

1. Soda. Kids simply don’t need soda, it is as simple as that. Many kids and adults alike are chronically dehydrated due to the current popular diet which includes lots of soda and way too little water. Send them with a water bottle instead of soda. If they “need” flavor, send them with infused water.
2. Juice boxes. Again with the sugary drinks. While I do recognize that juice is often better than soda, it doesn’t even compare to water.
3. Candy. Candy is okay after holidays or on special occasions in my opinion, but other than that, steer clear of this kind of junk food. There is no health benefit, it’s bad for their teeth and kids don’t need that mid-day sugar rush than crash. Send them with fruit instead.
4. Pre-packaged meat and cheese meals. Pre-packaged meat and cheese meals are full of sodium, nitrates and preservatives. None of which are good for you. Make a homemade veggie and cheese meal instead.
5. Peanut butter sandwiches. You should skip out on peanut butter sandwiches for 2 reasons. One, many children are now allergic to peanuts, so it is always good to avoid putting those kids at risk. Also, many store bought peanut butters are full of sugars and other additives. Stick with all-natural peanut butter or try an all natural hazelnut spread.
6. Chip bags. I’m not against chips per say, but it really is a waste of money to buy individual chip bags. It’s cheaper to buy a big bag of chips and bag them up yourself.