"You put junk food into a child's brain, you get back junk behavior and learning." ~Dr. Bill Sears

 There are those that like to take the time to create gorgeous Bento lunches for their children that look like a scene from a Disney movie, you know the type,  you pin them and think, “that’s so cute”

Get Real

Then there is the reality for the rest of us that find it difficult enough to wake up in the morning, no less wake up our kids, wake up the one kid again who fell back to sleep, make sure they eat breakfast, brush their teeth, get dressed, brush their hair, tie their shoes, remember their homework, remember to put their homework in their backpack, and make sure they remember their lunch, the one you have to make before your kids are running out the door in time to catch the school bus.

Why not just let them buy lunch you may ask?  One word (documentary) sums it up, YUCK.

Healthy food at lunch will make a difference in how our kids are able to pay attention and learn throughout the day.  Your kids will feel better when they are provided the essential nutrients including the protein which provides the essential amino acids, soluble fiber, and Omega 3s for the essential fatty acids.  One book that explores this is the Sears Parenting Library's book, How Nutrition Deficit Disorder Affects Your Child's Learning, Behavior, and Health, and What You Can Do About It--Without Drugs  It's an exploration of how nutrition affects the brains and behavior of youngsters. N.D.D., or Nutrition Deficit Disorder, as coined by Dr. Bill Sears, is based on the idea that if "you put junk food into a child's brain, you get back junk behavior and learning."  

Back to school time you don't want to feed your kids junk food, you don't want to let them buy lunch because you don't totally trust that, and you don't just need cute pins -you need REAL healthy school lunch ideas! So while we know we want our kids eat healthy, we pack a school lunch knowing we want them to actually eat it. 

14 suggestions for a REAL healthy school lunch

1. If you don’t know what your kids want for lunch, ask them. 
2. Start a small garden, or even just grow tomatoes.  It will not only provide healthy foods but it teaches kids about where healthy food comes from
3. If you don’t or can't have a garden, take your child to a farm or at least a farmer's market to pick their own fruits or veggies at least once in a while.  
4. Reusable lunch supplies instead of disposable to teach our kids about the importance of caring for our planet.  #gogreen 
5. Take your kids shopping with you at least a few times to help pick out healthy foods they would like for their school lunch. 
6. Prepare school lunches the night before which makes it easy for the morning rush
7. Have your children help you prepare the school lunch the night before which makes it easy for the morning rush -and the night before. 
8. Mix it up.  If they love peanut butter and jelly,  spread that on pita, or celery sticks.
9. Leftovers if you know they loved dinner the night before.  Some parents worry about the food not being warmed up, but my kids got used to eating leftovers cold –nothing wrong with eating food cold!  
10. Instead of buying cookies, have your kids help you make some.   If you bake up some IQed chocolate macaroon cookies they’ll taste like crispy chewy brownies but are loaded with all the essential nutrients and approved by the Feingold Association for the Feingold diet.  Lots of other healthy recipes here
11. Throw in some frozen cotton candy grapes - simple, healthy, and tastes like dessert!
12. Get REAL fancy -Sure use a cookie cutter to create fun shapes for your sandwiches
13. Make an IQed smoothie and freeze it and put it into the lunch box, by lunch time it will be melted enough to drink and that was the one way I got my one picky eater son to eat  a healthy lunch every day since all else failed for him.  With IQed you only have to mix it with water and it's complete meal and vitamin replacement, but lots of smoothie ideas if you want to get creative.  Here are a few
14. Pinterest –always a go-to when you are stuck...You know - for those cute pins!

LISA GENG

Mom Conceptualist For IQed

Lisa Geng got her start as a designer, patented inventor,and creator in the fashion, toy, and film industries, but after the early diagnosis of her young children she entered the world of nonprofit, pilot studies, and advocacy. As the mother of two “late talkers,” she is the founder and president of the nonprofit CHERAB Foundation,co-author of the acclaimed book, The Late Talker, (St Martin’s Press 2003), and is instrumental in the development of IQed, a whole food nutrition meal replacement. Lisa currently serves as a parent advocate on an AAN board for vaccines, and is a member of CUE through Cochrane US. Lisa is currently working on a second book, The Late Talker Grows Up and serves as a Late Talkers, Silent Voices executive producer. She lives on the Treasure Coast of Florida.