Healthy School Lunch for Teens

Did you know that by skipping lunch you raise your chances of over snacking after school? And normally the snacks a teen will grab are choices of the sugared kind; in other words pure junk food. If you are battling teen obesity you need to listen up. The best way for proper teen weight loss is to eat all your meals (no skipping!) and keep your body from feeling hungry. Sadly with all the convenient and junk food choices of today the child obesity rates are at an alarming high. But you can keep yourself from adding more pounds by eating a healthy lunch. A proper diet will have you eating three meals with three small snacks a day or five small meals and one snack a day. Normally school kids won’t be able to eat the five small meals a day so they have to stick with eating three bigger ones. Eating a healthy lunch is really easy to do. It may help to pack your own lunch, or have your parents to pack it. And think healthy nutritious foods when filling the lunch bag. The key is to make lunch not only healthy but also taste good. Some good ideas for a quick lunch are to make fruit kabobs using a couple different kinds of fruits. Add in some whole grain crackers and cheese for a well rounded nutritious lunch. Once in a while pack a thermos with some nice hot soup. Many of the soups on the market are nutritious and many can be purchased to be low sodium as well. If you go for the thicker chunky soups, these will surely fill up the tummy very nicely. Make up some trail mix with favorite nuts and granola bits. Add in some chocolate like MM’s (just a few, for color and flavor!). Check the fridge for leftovers from last night’s supper. Sometimes food is better the second day, and if you have a nice thermos you can fill it with hot items. Other lunch ideas that will help with teen weight loss are a sandwich made from whole wheat bread with egg salad and tomato slice and lettuce. Tuna salad is good too. If the school has a salad bar, make a colorful salad. Tacos are healthy, especially if you add the lettuce, tomatoes, onions and cheese. Try a veggie topped pizza on a thin crust. If you are trying lose weight, you need to think healthier and stay away from the junk food that is so readily available. Eating a healthy lunch will help the middle of your day to be a point where you will be reenergized and will be able to make it to a healthy snack after school. Start the day with a healthy breakfast and you will be able to make it until lunch. The body needs a good daily intake of complex carbohydrates (nutritious carbs found in fruits and vegetables, beans and whole grains), proteins and even healthy fats. Eating good nutritious foods helps to win the battle against teen obesity.