Nutritious School Lunch Programs in Philadelphia

Lunch is the most important meal of the day for both adults and kids. A nutritious lunch is even more important for school-age kids. Nutritious lunch helps keep the metabolism of children active and their bodies healthy.

Eating a healthy meal in the middle of the day can re-energize the kids’ body and raise blood sugar levels when concentration level is flagging. This post focuses on the importance of eating well-balanced lunch and negative effects of skipping lunch.

Benefits of eating nutritionally balanced lunch

Healthy lunch benefits school-age kids by providing them the energy to remain alert during the class. Lunch contributes to a solid foundation of good nutrition on a regular & continuous basis. A well-balanced lunch provides a kid with enough calories to keep them going throughout the day. School lunch makes about one-third of the total nutritional intake of a kid for an entire day, as per recent researches.

What happens if the kid skips lunch?

Many researches carried out around the world have confirmed that the kids who skipped lunch are usually distracted in the classroom. In addition to this, it was also reported that malnutrition caused by skipping the lunch can interfere with normal mental and physical development of the kid. A healthy lunch is considered so important that National School Lunch Program is conducted by USDA. It provides nutritionally balanced lunches to children from kindergarten to grade 12.

Parental influence

Parents can help their children make healthy choices about the food they eat at lunch, with well-balanced lunch. As a responsible parent, you should educate your kid about the healthy eating habits.

What are good lunch choices for kids?

Ideally, a healthy lunch should offer a balance among the five main food categories: dairy, lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, and grains. More and more school-aged kids are becoming obese in Philadelphia due to their high intake of junk foods and snacks with high fat or sugar content. So, it is important for kids to take nutritionally balanced lunch. It is advised that school going kids should avoid fat and sodium laden fast food in their lunch. Moreover, they should drink plenty of water with lunch.

Raw vegetables, whole grains, and lean meat or other protein sources are considered as a good choice of lunch for school-aged kids. You can also include a light ranch dressing for vegetable dipping and fill bread with protein-packed peanut butter.

It's more convenient to use the meals program for school kids

Time is in short supply when both parents are working. So, it is not feasible for them to provide a lunch that meets the nutritional need of their children. As a parent, you can pack or offer anything that you liked for your kid for lunch. But if the kid doesn't like what you packed, then you have wasted your effort and time. Many times the meals program for school kids is more convenient and better received by the kids in Philadelphia.

Mornings can be really hectic, especially for working parents. So, it is not always possible for them to pack lunch for their kids. Some reputed and well-known schoolfood services in Philadelphia offer nutritionally balanced lunches that provide the nutrients that the kids should have in a day.

Healthy kids meals delivered directly to your home, schools, and daycares in the Philadelphia and Delaware Metropolitan areas. Contact us now.