Today, one of the many duties parents have is to impart healthy eating habits to their offspring. Childhood is where lifelong eating habits are formed, and it can be quite difficult to break negative habits as an adult. It is more crucial than ever for parents to give their children healthy food and set a good example by eating well. Providing kids with wholesome, nutritious lunches to bring to school is one method to help them develop good habits.

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It's possible for parents to mistakenly feed their kids meals that are heavy in sugar, high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, and food dyes. Thankfully, there are lots of nutritious substitutes for these goods that are high in vitamins, fiber, protein, and good fats. Put healthy eating first for your kids today and take these items out of their lunch boxes.

We’ll start with the unhealthy options that may affect your child’s health:

Potato Chips

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Although children adore chips, the use of artificial chemicals, excessive salt, and poor quality oil makes them unhealthy for your little ones. They include a lot of calories and trans fats, which might eventually cause diabetes and high blood pressure. Giving your child potato chips is a simple solution, but it encourages them to develop unhealthy eating patterns when they become older.

Mayonnaise-Heavy Packaged Food

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Packaged-food manufacturers use poor-quality mayonnaise and salty, nitrate-filled, chemically treated meat. They also contain artificial coloring and unhealthy fats, both of which are hazardous to kids. Saturated fat is abundant in mayonnaise-based salad dressings and sandwiches. It is best to offer your kids a tasty and nutritious homemade veggie roll instead.

Juice Boxes and Energy Drinks

You are mistaken if you think that giving your kids energy drinks will help them regain their energy after PE class. In the long run, they will do more harm than good to them. They include a lot of caffeine and sugar. On the other hand, juice boxes are also unhealthy for children's health. The fact that the packet says "fruit" doesn't automatically imply that it is nutritious. Although many of these beverages seem healthy, they are not. Most of these drinks start with flavoring water and high fructose corn syrup as their first two ingredients.

Cakes and Donuts

These super delicious treats are made with refined flour, butter, sugars, and calorie-dense colors when they are baked. Trans fats and artificial colors have been linked to heart issues. Additionally, neither of these factors is good for their growth or general health. Moreover, these sweets can affect your child’s oral health, resulting in cavities or tooth decay.

Kid-Friendly Yogurt

Although many types of yogurt offer nutritional benefits, and it is a healthy snack, "kid-friendly" yogurts should be avoided. These are the yogurts that have bizarre flavors and colors, and you can typically tell which ones they are by the cartoon characters that are featured on their package. Avoid being tricked into purchasing these yogurts because they may contain crushed cookies and candies and have very high sugar content.

White Bread

When you consider the unhealthiest foods your child could be eating for lunch, bread may not be the first thing that springs to mind. However, highly processed meals like white bread, pasta, and crackers are readily broken down by the body into sugar. Your child will have a burst of energy before collapsing. So, keep in mind that you are essentially giving your child sugar when you give them anything made with white flour. For a healthier lunch, you can give your kid whole-wheat alternatives.

Pre-Packaged Granola Bars

It may appear as though granola bars are made specifically for school lunches because they are packaged in convenient individual containers, and putting one in the lunch box is so simple—just grab one from the pantry and that’s it. However, it turns out that many granola bars are simply stuffed full of extra sugar, refined carbohydrate, and fat. Look for granola bars that are rich in oats, barley, almonds, and seeds. We also recommend creating your own.

Flavored Milk

Kids should drink milk, right? Yes, but not if several quantities of colorful sugar are used to flavor it. Additionally, it's probably not a good idea to consume milk that has been sitting in a lunch box all morning, particularly in the summer. For a drink during school lunch, it is best to stick to water.

Now, the following list contains the foods that may be drippy or smelly, which are too messy for school and are best eaten only at home.

Fish or Seafood

Although seafood is nutritious for the kids and helps improve their memory, it is not recommended to be eaten at school. The stinky odor will fill your child’s bag and, naturally, their hands and mouth no matter how well they wash them.

Saucy Food

Your little one may have loved yesterday’s Kofta with red sauce that he had for lunch, but that doesn’t mean you pack it in his lunch box! Any food that has sauce can be drippy, which will create an unnecessary mess that you will end up cleaning eventually.

Koshary

Well, even though we don’t need to say much about this one, many mothers still tend to put it in their kids’ lunch boxes. For all the mentioned reasons above and for the sake of your little one’s personal hygiene, please don’t put Koshary in their lunch box.