Well its official, its Back to School time, and with that comes the challenge of providing our children with not only nourishing lunches, but lunches they will actually eat!! As a mom of 4 children, and Nutritionist I know the struggles families face when it comes to packing healthy meals at school!
 
One of the biggest concerns I have for school age children is the amount of processed foods that can find their way into their lunch boxes.  Now, I will also share that my children’s lunches are never perfect, and yes we do purchase granola bars and the occasional treats, BUT what I am talking about is the highly processed lunches that are mostly packaged foods, full of preservatives, colouring, flavourings and frankly chemicals that will NOT help your children focus!
 
With so many children diagnosed with learning and attention challenges, and as a mom and Nutritionist, I always tell my clients to start with what you are packing them! If you want to learn more about foods that help them focus you can read this article here.
 
If you want to help them to focus, then you must understand they need stable blood sugar and clean nutrition to fuel their brain. In order for this to happen we have to begin by providing them with healthy lunchbox options. Now for the moms of picky eaters who are about to leave this article, hang tight!!! I got your back with this one!!  Here’s the thing, often for our picky eaters, it has a lot to do with the flavour enhancers, sugars, and chemicals that our children’s processed foods are loaded with, not the whole foods!
 
Think about it this way, do you get the same taste, and physical response from eating an apple as you do eating Doritos? Children’s foods are so loaded with chemicals and sugars, their body’s start to expect the chemical reaction and intense taste every time they eat something.  If the food you are providing them does not offer that chemical/sugar reaction, then it often ends up on the no list! But there is a way to help re-wire them!
 
The challenge is to eliminate the processed options and work with your children on what they DO want in their lunches without offering the flavoured and food colouring heavy foods. Which actually brings me to Tip #1!

Do you ever feel like life is so busy, that even though we had great intentions to eat well, we often miss meals, eat total "crap" food on the go, and at the end of the day feel exhausted, moody and bloated? Pretty picture isn't it?! I know this is not a positive opening statement, but after years of working with busy and exhausted people its become the norm for so many!! 

I want to give you my Top Tips to helping you eat better all while reducing the time and money investment. If you have read previous blog posts on here you may be familiar with some of these already. I will post links to other articles that cover many of these tips in greater detail.

1. Plan your meals and snacks.  Yes I am totally saying it again. If you fail to plan, it is really very hard to stay on track!  Check out this article on how to plan and download my free menu planning worksheets!
2. Make Freezer Bag Smoothies.  Having a smoothie ready to be emptied into your blender when running out the door will help you get great nutrition while on the go!! Make 5-7 bags every week. Check out more info here!
3. Grocery Shop Online.  If you have the option to order your groceries online, do it!! You can update your cart all week and choose a pick up time. This will save you hours each week and allow you to purchase ONLY the food you want to have in your home! You can earn a $10 grocery coupon by clicking this link! 
4. Plan for a RESET every month! Purposely planning for a 10 Day RESET each month will allow you to focus on healthy habits that will carry over into the rest of your month.  We offer group RESETS every month!! Learn more here!

These are simple and incredibly effective strategies for Improving your Nutrition Conveniently!! All four will have a positive impact on your healthy habits. My suggestion? Start with one, become routine with it, and then add another one!

There are so many great topics we can offer education and guidance one!! I would love for you to share what you want to learn more on.  Send me a email here!