We've have dozens of requests for lunch ideas for children who have diabetes - it's a dilemma that also plagues parents of children who don't have diabetes. So we decided to throw out some ideas that we've used in years past and still do for our grandchildren (even though they don't have diabetes, we and their parents insist that they eat healthy).
One mom asked if the popular lunch kits that are available in nacho, taco, and pizza, etc. flavors are suitable for a diabetic meal plan. We suggest you read the label - they are loaded with MSG, fat, and salt, and you don't have control of the quality of ingredients used. Better to make your own lunch kits - using bits and pieces that duplicate the commercial product so that you know what's going into the kit.
Recently when visiting my 1st grader granddaughter, I cut up small pieces of leftover grilled chicken breast, cubes of low-fat cheese, and added some baby carrots. All went into a small plastic container that went into her Barbie lunch box along with 2% milk in her thermos and a few of her favorite crackers in a zip-lock baggie. A few seedless grapes completed her meal - all of which she ate. She knew to get a tiny cold pack (this one was in the freezer in the shape of a blue M&M) to keep her food cold. The containers were all empty in her lunch box when she returned home and she told me her friends said they wished they could have the same lunch the next day. The next day, I had her spread a flour tortilla with reduced-fat mayonnaise and cover the mayonnaise with deli-bought sliced turkey, sliced low-fat cheese and a leaf of romaine lettuce (she loves salad). We rolled that up tightly and cut it in half so it'd fit in a zip-lock baggie. She also packed a fresh pear and I gave her money to buy milk at school. Again she thought of getting her frozen M&M to keep her lunch cold and she also packed a napkin.
I'd introduced humus to Megan when she was only three years old so when I made some, she wanted to take some for lunch. We had to go to a store for pita bread and she talked me into buying her some seedless grapes. A thermos of milk completed another meal that was totally consumed.
Kid-pleasing hot foods such as soup and chili can also go to school in a wide mouth thermos. Don't forget to pack a plastic spoon. Pack fresh fruit or cubes of mixed fresh fruit in a plastic container. Vegetable sticks are always welcome by kids, especially if you include a small container of their favorite low-fat dip. Make low-fat and low-sugar breads with your kids to send along such as the Cranberry Muffins (could also substitute blueberries), Orange and Chocolate Chip Bread, and Pumpkin Muffin Meal, all of which would be wonderful spreads for peanut butter. The muffins should be split before spreading. We have other muffin recipes in our cookbooks - which are available at most libraries or can be purchased from our book store. Yogurt is a favorite of most kids and great for school lunches. Children also like cold rice, pasta, and couscous, which can be sent in a container and kept cold. They love string cheese. Try wrapping thin slices of lean deli roast beef around short bread sticks. Cubes of lean ham or turkey breast are also good for kids along with a little packet of mustard or ketchup for dipping from a fast food restaurant. Turkey dogs cut into small pieces can be dipped into ketchup (again from a fast food packet). Graham crackers can also be spread with peanut butter and low-sugar jelly for small sandwiches.
When your child says that a lunch box is no longer "cool," send them (or take them) shopping at a discount store for something to carry lunch in their backpack that is "cool." When I asked my neighbor teen (who happens to have type 1 diabetes) what he takes his lunch in, he showed me a cloth neon-colored lunch sack that was decorated with geometric designs. I guess he thinks it's OK and so do his friends - he was captain of the football team and was homecoming king. He also happened to have a small M&M frozen disk (they must be "in" this year) to keep his lunch cold. I don't think it was a coincidence that the lunch sack was the same color as his car. He said he often takes salad, pieces of grilled or baked chicken, an occasional hard-cooked egg, or his mom's pasta salad. If he takes a sandwich (he prefers whole wheat bread), he packs the lettuce and tomato that he likes in a separate baggie to keep the sandwich from getting soggy and takes a small packet of light mayo (again from a fast food place) to spread on the bread at school. He also still likes sugar-free jello, which his mom buys in individual portions.
The key is to involve your child in the decisions as to what goes in their school lunch and, as soon as they are old enough, make packing their own lunch a part of their daily routine. If the lunch contains something they've chosen and packed, it's more likely to end up in their stomach than in a friend's or in the trash barrel.
FTG
