How to make a nutritious lunch for kids while on a budget

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - “We’ve got some strawberries, we have some guacamole, some cucumbers cut up.”

For kids, a colorful lunch box with a protein, fruits, veggies, grains and sometimes dairy can go a long way.

“Pretty nice little healthy lunch here.”

That’s according to dietitian Meghann Buchanan with Memorial Health Children’s Hospital.

Who, as you can see, knows how to put together what she calls a healthy lunchable with carrots, crackers, cheese, and peanut butter.

“The last thing, we need our protein.”

Meghan says that packing a healthy a lunch with all the food groups can really pay off for kids in the future.

“Diabetes, we see a lot popping up in children. Heart disease, hypertension, high cholesterol, so when we can take away some of those added sugars and added fats and added salts that are in a lot of those processed foods that are quick and easy to grab that we usually throw in out lunch, we can replace those with some healthier options,” Meghann Buchanan, Dietician said.

But as grocery prices stack up at the cash register, parents have an added challenge to buying healthy food. Which is typically more expensive than a pack of cookies. Buchanan recommends going to farmers markets, sticking to your grocery list and buying food you can stretch throughout the week.

“Things like rotisserie chicken could be a healthy option too. So, we have one piece and then you can use it for multiple meals. So, making sure we have something we can use not once but multiple times throughout the week is always good.”

It’s a small step towards a healthy life for your little one.

“There we go, alright.”

Copyright 2022 WTOC. All rights reserved.