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Are school lunches healthy?
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Hi Reader, A mom wrote to me last week sharing a dilemma that I’m sure a lot of you relate to. She was telling me how helpful it is for her kids to eat lunch from the school cafeteria – it saves both time & money – but she worried because other moms said they “wouldn’t feed their kids that crap.” So she wanted to know, is it okay to feed her kids the cafeteria food? Is it really that bad as these other moms are saying? First – I told her that feeding our kids is always about more than just nutrition. The time & money saving factors are HUGE, and they are allowed to be part of the decision. But second – school lunches are for the most part not nearly as bad nutritionally as people think they are. Public schools who offer free/reduced lunches are REQUIRED to follow federal nutrition guidelines. Food quality is a separate issue. Like, would most of our kids prefer some fresh sliced watermelon to canned peaches and canned green beans? I know mine would. But that doesn’t mean that the food is bad for them. So do I think there’s room for improvement? 100%. But I think you’d be surprised to see that there are a lot of good rules in place to ensure their lunches have nutritional value. In this new post (linked below) I share what those rules are and how you can help encourage your kids to make smart choices when they get to decide what food to order for themselves. New This Week From Mama Knows Is School Lunch Healthy? A Dietitian’s Guide to Helping Kids Buy Lunch at SchoolEvery new school year I get questions from parents about whether school lunch is healthy or not. Social media can make it seem like school lunches are total ultra-processed garbage in the US. And when you hear something like that, of course you’re going to worry about whether your kid should be eating it!
Make Your Own Packed Lunch Menu If you haven’t prepared one yet – make this packed lunch menu to take the guesswork out of what to pack in your kid’s lunch each day. Or better yet, use it to allow your kid to pack their own lunch! Looking for My New AI Prompt? If you want a detail-oriented prompt to help you sort through the noise and misinformation regarding health and nutrition in the media, my new prompt is for you. Click here to view last week’s newsletter and save the prompt for all future questions you want solid fact-checking on! 3 Things I've Tried Recently and Loved
Take care, friend! Disclaimer: this message contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. © Mama Knows Nutrition 2026 |
Mama Knows Nutrition
Subscribe to get weekly inspiration with kid-friendly recipes, my personal meal plans, quick nutrition tips, and relatable mom tales that will make you smile, laugh, or cry, depending on what kind of week I'm having!
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Hi Reader, If you have a kid starting school for the first time or starting at a new school, and you’re feeling a little nervous about how lunchtime is going to go, there are a few things you can practice at home ahead of time. These are things their teacher will appreciate, too! 1. If you only do one thing, do this: Do a full lunchbox test run. Pack their lunch and snack exactly the way you plan to send it to school: water bottle, lunch box, thermos, pouches — everything. Then have them open...
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