When Do Walnut Creek Students Go Back to School?

WALNUT CREEK, CA — Summer’s winding down and that means it’s almost time for the kids to hit the books once more. Vacations have wrapped, but the warm weather lingers as kids prepare to get back to class.

Students in local public schools head back to school on August 23.

Once kids know their return date and have shopped for fresh school supplies, parents will undoubtedly kick into action trying to create nutritious school lunches their kids will actually eat.

If you’re looking for some ideas on the lunch-front, we’ve got you covered. Last year, the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency provided the below five tips to help parents pack a great (and nutritious, shhh!) school lunch:

1. Let your children help
It’s important to empower your kids in helping select what they eat according to Dr. Dean Sidelinger, San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) child health medical officer.

“Letting them choose what ultimately goes in their lunch lets them be a part of the decision,” he said. “You can take them grocery shopping with you and use that as an educational experience teaching about healthy choices and nutrition.”

Letting kids help you pack their lunch might mean a little extra time or mess, but they are more likely to eat it if they helped pack it and it’s another great way to spend some more one-on-one time with your child.

2. Make subtle switches

Sometimes small changes can be a big deal when it comes to eating more nutritious food. Billups suggests trying whole wheat bread instead of white bread. If your child doesn’t like wheat bread, maybe try ditching bread all together and try a whole wheat tortilla wrap.

“There are several healthy changes you can make that your child might be willing to try and they can add up to big differences over time,” said Billups. “Try using yogurt or low fat sour cream as a dip instead of ranch or instead of sending fruit juice or a sugar-laden drink, try packing water with a splash of fruit juice in it or cut-up fresh fruit to infuse flavor.”

3. Make your own versions of processed snacks or create your own
Just about any processed food can be made into a healthier version at home. You can make your own salsa and homemade baked tortilla chips, create homemade peanut butter without all the hydrogenated oils and sugar (but be aware if your school has nut allergy rules) or even pop tarts and homemade variations of Girl Scout cookies.

“You can find endless recipes online to make healthier versions of the processed snacks and treats your kids like in their lunches,” said Sidelinger. “And by making them yourself you have more control over the amount of fat, sugar, sodium and other additives that often make the processed versions less healthy.”

Creating homemade versions of Lunchables is easy using things like whole-grain crackers or pitas with lean meat and low-fat cheese with fresh fruit substituting for the candy found in store-bought versions.

Patch Editors Sherri Lonon and Autumn Johnson contributed to this report
Photo courtesy Shutterstock