What's for Lunch? Healthy Plant-Based School Lunch and Snack Ideas That Parents AND Kids Will LOVE!

Did you know that one in three kids don’t eat fruit daily and nearly half of kids don’t consume a single vegetable in a day? 

You may be wondering why this statistic is so important. For children's physical and mental well-being, it's crucial for them to consume fruits, vegetables, and other plant-based foods in their daily diet.

Why Consuming Plant-Based Foods is Important for Kids

Plant-based foods are nutrient dense, providing essential vitamins and minerals, like vitamins C and A as well as folate and iron, all of which are important for supporting their immune system, vision, bones, academic performance, sports performance, sleep habits, mood, and overall growth. Plant foods are also packed with fiber, which, along with plenty of water, helps their digestion and prevents constipation.

Below are five good reasons kids need plant-based foods in their diet daily.

Support growth and development

• Build strong bones and teeth: Vegetables like leafy greens and fruits such as oranges are rich in calcium and other essential vitamins and minerals, which are crucial for the development of strong bones and teeth.

• Support brain health: Vegetables and fruits contain nutrients that support cognitive development. For instance, berries are known for their high antioxidant content, which can improve memory and brain function.

Prevent lifestyle diseases

• Reduced risk of chronic diseases: Regular consumption of fruits and vegetables can help reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers later in life.

• Supported immune system: Vitamins and antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables strengthen the immune system, helping children fight off common illnesses and infections.

Develop healthy eating habits

• Develop healthy eating habits: Introducing fruits and vegetables at a young age helps children develop a taste for these healthy foods, establishing lifelong healthy eating habits.

• Adds variety and color: A diet rich in a variety of fruits and vegetables can make meals more colorful and appealing, encouraging kids to eat a balanced diet. The variety is also good for their gut health!
  

Maintain a healthy weight

• Increases satiety: The fiber and water content in fruits and vegetables help children feel full and satisfied, reducing the likelihood of overeating unhealthy foods.

Support academic performance

• Improves concentration, focus and energy levels: The nutrients in fruits and vegetables provide sustained energy and improve concentration, which can positively impact academic performance.
  

Mitigate anxiety

• Consuming fiber-, nutrient-, and phytochemical-rich plant foods has been shown to improve mood and mitigate anxiety.

Incorporating a variety of fruits and vegetables into children's diets can ensure they receive the necessary nutrients for optimal physical and mental wellness, setting the foundation for a healthy future.

The Plant-Based Plate for Kids

Similar to adults, a healthy and sustainable balanced plant-based meal includes:

• a starchy vegetable or whole grain, like whole grain bread, whole grain pasta, rice, quinoa, corn or sweet potatoes

• a plant protein, like beans, peas, lentils, tofu, or peanut butter

• 1–2 vegetables

• 1–2 fruits

• fortified plant-based milk or yogurt

The USDA's My Plate for kids recommends that half the plate is filled with fruits and vegetables, one-quarter includes a healthy protein and one-quarter includes a whole grain or starchy veggie, as well as a serving of calcium and vitamin D fortified plant milk or yogurt.

An example of a balanced meal includes sweet potatoes, black beans, a salad with green dressing, and sliced apples with a nut or seed butter. What’s cool about making a green dressing is that you can sneak in some spinach and kids won’t notice it. You can even give it a fun name, like dinosaur dressing or green slime sauce. For a beverage, consider including unsweetened fortified plant-based milk or a smoothie made with fortified plant milk so they get calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin A for their bones.

Other healthy lunch ideas include hummus and veggie rainbow wrap cut into bites, pasta salad with garden veggies, pizza quesadilla, lentil pinwheels, and tofu egg salad. 

Some snack ideas include oatmeal energy bites, fruit salad with chia seeds sprinkled over top, apple and nut or seed butter, banana muffins, yogurt and fruit, chia pudding, and edamame guacamole. 

Phytochemicals for the Win!

Remember the term, “eat the rainbow?” There's nutritional accuracy to this suggestion. Plus, kids love colors! By including a wide variety of colorful plant-based foods, you’re not only stimulating them visually with the vibrant colors, but these colors indicate that they’re getting lots of quality nutrition that will help them thrive. 

Phytochemicals, compounds made by plants, give them their bright hues and give kids lots of antioxidants when they eat them. These compounds help kids' brain health, immune function, digestion, sleep habits, and mood, to name a few. They also support active kids performing and recovering optimally during and after sports activities.

Whenever you see vibrant plant-based colors, like dark leafy greens, purple blueberries, orange peppers, and cherry red tomatoes, know you're feeding your family lots of beneficial phytochemicals.

Get Kids Involved in the Fruit and Veggie Fun

Getting kids involved with grocery shopping and meal planning can empower them to make their own decisions, create a healthy and happy mindset, and foster healthy eating habits in that moment and for the future.

Here are a few tips to getting kids involved:

• Make eating fruits and vegetables fun and festive by getting kids involved and having them help you select the fruits and vegetables at your grocery store or farmers market.

• Also, ask them to select the fruits and veggies they want to include in their lunchbox.

• Boost bonding time by inviting them into the kitchen to help you prepare their lunch.

Oftentimes, kids are more likely to consume more fruits and vegetables when they help select and prepare them.

Healthy Plant-Based School Lunch and Snack Ideas That Parents AND Kids Will LOVE!

Looking for ideas? With school right around the corner, I've reached out to some fellow fabulous dietitians to get their recommendations for health plant-based school lunch ideas that both parents and kids will love.

Rollable Lunches, Bites, and Snacks

Veggie pinwheels, rainbow rolls, and spring rolls are fun for kids because they're handheld and can be dipped into a fun sauce. They're also great for parents because they can be simple to make and a great way to incorporate a rainbow of fruits and veggies into meals and snacks. Bri Bell, RD from Frugalminimalistkitchen.com states, "Fresh spring rolls are a fun and colorful meal idea that kids love because they’re hand-held, dip-able and packed with flavor!"

Mini Sandwich Bites

Mini veggie sandwiches can offer fun flavors and textures for kids like this Green Goodness Sandwich or a good ole fashioned pb&j. Elysia Cartlidge, RD at Little Healthy Bites provided one of her own creations, stating, "These healthy mini cucumber sandwiches with a lemony dill and chive cream cheese are easy to prep ahead of time" She offers her personal favorite eco-friendly storage option too, "They fit perfectly in an eco-friendly lunchbox like PlanetBox stainless steel lunch boxes. The price tag may be hefty, but they are built to last for years and can be passed along to another child if one outgrows it."

Crunchy Snack Attack!

What's more fun than a loud crunch? Cheesy Kale Chips are super easy to prepare and a fun way to get kids involved. Have them clean their hands before they help you massage the cheesy mixture into the kale. Best part is that, since the ingredients are all plant-based, they can lick their fingers afterwards without the risk of getting a belly ache. Lindsay Cohen, RDN, LDN, CDCES, abcnutritionsolutions.com, loves seaweed snacks for the same crunchy and healthy reasons, sharing, "The organic roasted seaweed snacks from Costco make a great plant-based snack for kids! They are crunchy and salty which makes them a nice alternative to chips. Seaweed is a great source of fiber, plant protein, vitamins, and minerals."

Oh-So-Creamy, Dreamy and Delicious

If your kids' dream snack is creamy over crunchy, then look no further than chia pudding. Chia seeds are chock-full of fiber for good digestion and calcium for growing bones. Julie Lichtman, RD, LDN loves homemade chia pudding or opting for Mama Chia Squeezes. She also recommends "dates with nut butter (or sunflower seeds butter, if needed for allergy-friendly) rolled with coconut flakes and mini chocolate chips!" For homemade chia pudding try Blueberry Banana Chia Pudding or Lime Coconut Chia Pudding.

Energy Bites are All the Rave

Energy bites are easy to make at home, often require minimal ingredients, and can encompass excellent flavors and textures with their oat, nut (or seed) and fruit inclusions.

Laurent Mahesri, RD from The Pediatric Dietitian provided her Nut-Free Protein Ball recipe, exclaiming, "These nut-free protein balls are a great snack for lunch because they’re allergy friendly!"

Cheryl Anderson, MHSc RD, CherylAndersonrd.com, provides an allergen-free option as well stating, "I make these Cranberry Cinnamon Energy Balls every week for my daughter’s lunches. They are plant based and free of most common allergens, so great for lunchboxes!"

Check out these yummy suggestions too — Cinnamon Carrot Cake Bites, Apricot Cashew Energy Bars, and Pumpkin Oat Bites.

Protein Packed Plant-Based Fun

"A favorite, fun and plant based snack are edamame. They can be eaten steamed or cold. Topped with some sea salt, they are a great source of protein and fiber. Great for kids and their parents too" suggests Amy Beney MS RDN, CDCES of My Nutrition Insights. Other protein-rich snack options include homemade trail mix, granola, or bean dip.

With school approaching, do you have your plant-based menu ready to go? Consider using some of the options above to create the plan for the first week. You may find that having a plan in place leaves you with peace of mind, knowing that your kids will be happy, healthy and thriving as they start the new school year.