Cheryl Martin (Host): Hi, I'm Cheryl Martin, and it's that time again, children and teens heading back to school. Corcoran Downey is here with some practical tips for busy parents and caregivers for packing nutritious balanced lunches that fuel learning, boost energy and support overall wellbeing without adding stress to busy mornings.

Corcoran is a pediatric dietician at Miller Children's and Women's Hospital in Long Beach and at home, she's also packing lunches for a three-year-old toddler and two teenagers. Corcoran so glad you're on to discuss healthy but tasty school lunches.

Corcoran Downey, MS, RD, CNSC: Thank you so much for having me.

Host: Why is it, it's so important for kids and teens to have a healthy lunch during the school day?

Corcoran Downey, MS, RD, CNSC: It is really important for kids of all ages to have a lunch in the middle of their school day. It helps them keep their energy levels up. It helps them focus throughout their whole day, not just in the morning, which allows them to gives their all at their schoolwork and allows them to learn.

Host: So what are the key components of a balanced school lunch?

Corcoran Downey, MS, RD, CNSC: So when we're talking about a balanced school lunch, or even, you know, a balanced lunch at home, we're really talking about having a variety of foods. We want to have a source of protein. We want to have a source of carbohydrates and we want to have some color. And for color, I generally refer to fruits and vegetables, at least one of the two. Working within a child's preference, but having color within the lunch.

Host: So how can parents make lunches that are both nutritious and appealing to those picky eaters?

Corcoran Downey, MS, RD, CNSC: So my first tip is to work within what your child already eats. When packing lunch for them, you want to go with foods you know they're going to eat. Lunchtime and back to school is not really the time to try to add new foods. That's something that we want to try at home, when it's okay, when they have their family at home and they're in their normal environment, not so much when going back to school.

So with that, when packing lunch, I often say start with foods they love, especially early in the school year, if they're starting a new school, starting a new teacher, make their lunch something that they like, something that you know they're going to eat, so it is a comfortable part of their day.

Host: What are some easy prep ahead lunch ideas that can save time on busy mornings.

Corcoran Downey, MS, RD, CNSC: So depending on the age of your child, I am a big fan of leftovers. A, it makes your prep a little bit easier, you know, make some extra dinner and pack it up for your kids' lunch the next day. Obviously some of that depends on whether or not the child has access to a microwave, to reheat at school.

Or they may not mind eating their food cold, but one thing I start with is the option of leftovers from dinner the night before. The next thing I talk about, I generally recommend in terms of packing lunch, is don't be afraid to do it the night before. We pack all lunches the night before in my house because in the morning when you're rushing, it gets very hard to think about what's in the lunch and you just grab whatever's easiest. So thinking about packing the night before and leaving the containers or the bags or whatever you pack lunch in the fridge overnight. So in the morning you just have to grab it and put it in the lunchbox or the backpack, or however we take our lunch to school.

Host: Corcoran, how can caregivers accommodate food allergies or dietary restrictions while still keeping meals fun and varied?

Corcoran Downey, MS, RD, CNSC: So if your child has food allergies or restrictions to the foods they eat, you should pack their lunch just like they eat food at home. So, if that's where I say leftovers can be a good option. You're obviously preparing food at home that is appropriate for your child's allergies or restrictions, so just mimicking that food in their lunch is a very appropriate way to do it.

Host: Are there any common lunchbox mistakes that parents should try to avoid?

Corcoran Downey, MS, RD, CNSC: I think one of the biggest mistakes is expecting your child to finish everything you pack. And that's more of a parental expectation than a child action. So, your kids are going to get a, sometimes get a snack at school or just aren't as hungry. And so as a parent, removing the expectation of having a lunchbox come home empty is super important.

And with that comes not getting upset at your kid if they don't eat all of their lunch. You can certainly ask them why. What happened? Did they not like the food that you packed? Did it not taste as good the way because it got sent to school and was old? Use a unfinished lunchbox as a way to talk to your kid about food and whether or not they liked something or their friend had something that was much better to them than what was in their lunchbox. But never get upset at your child for bringing home food in their lunchbox.

Host: How can families involve kids in the lunch packing process to encourage healthy habits?

Corcoran Downey, MS, RD, CNSC: That's a great question and I think that is one of the most important things with packing lunch, for kids is ask them what they want. Don't just pack a lunch that you as the parents want. You can give them some guidance. They might just say they want chips and crackers. But asking them or giving them options like, do you want a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Or do you want a Turkey sandwich? Or similarly with a fruit, do you want strawberries in your lunch tomorrow or do you want cherries in your lunch tomorrow? Giving them choices also helps on the flip side with them consuming more of their lunch, if it was what they asked for and what they want, then they're more likely to eat it. With that, you can also have them help you pack, ask them to grab the snack out of the cabinet that they like, or ask them to help cut the tops of the strawberries off, or cut the strawberries the way that they like them cut. So, involving them in one, choosing the food, but two, preparing the food helps them learn about the food that they're eating.

It helps give them some independence in choice and increases the chance that they're going to eat the food that gets sent.

Host: So what are some budget friendly tips for packing healthy lunches without breaking the bank?

Corcoran Downey, MS, RD, CNSC: So from a budget friendly standpoint, really it comes down to whatever you have available in your house. The fruits don't have to be fresh fruits. It's okay to send canned fruit. When we're talking about canned fruit, we want to look for fruit without added sugar. So if it says canned in juice, that usually means added sugars and we want to avoid that.

But from a budget standpoint, it doesn't have to be fresh fruit or fresh vegetables. It can be a juice pouch. It can be an applesauce pouch again, with an applesauce, we wan to look for no added sugar, so just 100% applesauce. But the fruits and vegetables in a lunch do not have to be fresh.

Host: You mentioned before that parents should not be upset if the children return without eating all the food. Is there any way parents can ensure their child is actually eating their lunch at school? Let's say they want to check to see if the child left the food at school and they did not eat all of their lunch. Anything the parents can do?

Corcoran Downey, MS, RD, CNSC: So, one, I would say talking with your child, you know, if their lunchbox doesn't come home at all, just, Hey, where's your lunchbox? But you want to make the conversations a safe space for your kid to be honest with you. You don't want them to feel like they're going to get in trouble if they tell you they didn't eat their lunch.

Sometimes you can ask teachers if you're concerned that your child isn't eating at all and is throwing away their lunch or things like that. You can sometimes reach out to teachers. Every school is different, so I cannot speak for every school system, every school, every teacher out there. But if there's a major concern that the lunchbox is coming home completely full every single day, or that you don't think your child is eating and may just be throwing away their food at home, I would suggest reaching out to teachers.

Host: Corcoran Downey, you gave us some great practical tips for preparing healthy and appealing school lunches. Thank you so much.

Corcoran Downey, MS, RD, CNSC: Thank you so much for having me.

Host: So where can families find more resources or inspiration for healthy school lunches? Just visit millerchildrens.org/schoolmeals. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it on your social channels and check out the entire podcast library for other topics of interest to you.

This is Weekly Dose of Wellness, brought to you by Memorial Care Health System. Thanks for listening.