Making sure your children are going off to school well prepared does not just mean a backpack filled with the latest technologies, awesome stationery, and notebooks of their favorite characters.
One of the most important things you can do to ensure a great day at school is to provide your kids with a tooth-friendly, well-balanced, and energizing lunch that will help them to stay focused and motivated in class.
A healthy lunch will also go a long way in ensuring your kids have great oral health.
At WhiteWing Dental, we strive to provide the best care for you and your family. As a McAllen family dentistry, we take pride in making your family feel at home the moment you step into our office.
With that in mind, we’d like for you to know about the following five scrumptious types of foods that help to make a perfectly healthy, tooth-friendly lunch box.
5 Foods to Pack for School Lunch
- Veggies
- Cheese and Yogurts
- Protein
- Fruit
- Water
Vegetables rich in fiber, or with a strong peal, like celery, carrots, and cucumbers, are the perfect snack for your kids and their teeth. These kind of vegetables are great bacteria fighters as their high amounts of fiber and water causes you to chew more, which in turn, creates more saliva that helps to wash away bacteria from the mouth.
Veggies, like carrots, also act as natural toothbrushes, helping to scrub away any accumulation of plaque. Vegetables are also some of the best sources of minerals needed for your child’s overall health. Making sure your little ones consume the right amount of minerals and nutrients throughout the day will help them to stay energized and ready to learn.
Foods rich in calcium, like cheese and yogurt, are some of the best sides for a tooth-friendly lunch. The calcium they contain will keep your child’s jawbone and teeth strong. Also, cheese increases salivation which helps to get rid of any oral bacteria.
Easy to eat proteins, those that don’t easily get stuck between teeth, are another great addition to a balanced lunch box. Most protein-rich foods are also rich in vitamin D which helps the calcium from cheese and yogurts be better absorbed by your child’s system.
Tuna or boiled eggs are great protein options. Nuts and seeds are other tasty options since they provide calcium, as well as vitamin D. On top of that, seeds and nuts contain folic acid which helps regenerate the gum tissue and prevent periodontal disease. However, if you decide to include almonds in the combo, it is recommended to use already-sliced almonds.
Fruits make for a great dessert, and while they do have natural sugars, the minimal amounts won’t do excessive damage to your child’s teeth like a candy or sugary drink would. Also, fruits contain wonderful amounts of fiber like vegetables, which makes them bacteria fighters as well. Fruits like pineapples, oranges, and mandarins provide vitamin C which helps to keep the gums and blood vessels strong and healthy.
It can be easy to think that fruit juice is a healthy replacement for soda but that’s absolutely wrong. Fruit juices can be just as bad as sodas and have about the same amount of artificial sugar. For this reason – and for your kids’ health – it is recommended to include water in their lunch box.
Depending on their age, your children should be consuming anywhere between 5 to 10 glasses of water daily. Staying hydrated also helps your kid stay active and focused. Remember, the human body is made of 70%, and the brain, by itself, is made up of 77% to 78% water. It is of high importance to make sure our kids’ are well hydrated if we want them to learn as much as possible.
Putting Everything Together
A lunch consisting of a turkey and cheddar sandwich in fibrous whole-wheat bread with a side of sliced apples and a bottle of water would make the perfect, well-balanced lunch to get your kids through the day.
Remember that high consumption of sugar can cause tooth decay and lead to expensive dental treatments.