Talk Autism by Debbie
Let's talk about Autism. The ups and downs for guiding an individual that is on the spectrum. Let's not forget about the parents and other children during out talks.
Talk Autism by Debbie
Nourishing Futures: Crafting Nutritious and Waste-Free School Lunches for Children
Ever wondered how to transform your child's school lunches into nutritious, delicious, and waste-free meals? This episode is packed with expert tips and practical strategies to help you do just that. We'll guide you through creating a lunch calendar that aligns with school menus, ensuring a balanced mix of proteins, starches, and fats, while keeping sugary foods at bay. With insights on utilizing Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for special dietary needs and the importance of including snacks to bridge long gaps between meals, we've got your back. Moreover, we tackle the pressing issue of food waste in school cafeterias and propose policy changes to manage and redistribute uneaten food effectively.
Managing daily sugar intake doesn't have to be a daunting task. Tune in to discover straightforward strategies for keeping your sugar consumption in check, from choosing items with seven grams of sugar or less to understanding the crucial differences between processed and natural sugars. Personal anecdotes and practical advice will empower you to make healthier eating choices for your entire family. As we wrap up, we leave you with a promise of more valuable tips in our upcoming episodes, ensuring you and your loved ones maintain a well-rounded and nutritious diet. Don't miss out on these essential insights!
Drop me a line!
Hi everyone. Today I'm going to talk about lunches and especially if your child is going to school and you're packing their lunch. So we're going to talk about that. And then the other thing I'm going to talk about a little bit is the school cafeterias and lunches at the school. So your lunch needs to be nutritious and it needs to be simple and something that they will eat. Ok, other words, don't pack food they won't eat.
Speaker 1:If you're thinking, well, I'm going to pack this because I want him to try it, or he or she, and so I'll pack this to see if they'll eat it if they're hungry enough. But if they won't eat it at home, most likely they're not going to eat it at lunch. If they won't eat it at home, most likely they're not going to eat it at lunch, and then they're going to be hungry and irritable and not wanting to stay focused at school. So it doesn't usually work. And then make a list and a calendar List of food your child will eat. Make a calendar so your child knows what is for lunch and talk about what you are going to do to encourage them to eat their lunch. If they bring it back and I realize that they could just throw it away. But if they bring it back, you know, maybe give them some kind of reward. If they have a parent with them, maybe the parent can write down in their journal or make a note that he did well today, or he or she, and that they ate all their lunch, and then get a school calendar too and see if there may be something that the child will eat on that school lunch for that day. Maybe there's something that they like at the school, especially breakfast. You know, if they're eating breakfast at school, you can also find out something that they will and will not eat at the school.
Speaker 1:Again, try for balance. Don't overpack. Please. No candy or lots of sugary foods. You'd be so surprised on how much candy and sugary and bad food. The kids are having their lunch and I realize that they're picky eaters and you're just trying to put something in there to give them some food, and not that we don't appreciate it, but if they've had too much sugar then they are going to be bouncing off the walls in the afternoon and it makes it hard to teach during that time. So make sure you have protein and starches and fats and things like that a balanced meal for them to eat and then don't be afraid during IEPs to put in any special issues that they may have. It can be something in their accommodations, like maybe a midday snack they need or a one-one support. Maybe they need a quiet environment, maybe there's a way to have them eat in a different area at the school. You know, explore those things with the IEP team and let them know some concerns that you have, because we really want them to be eating something, that they have something in their stomachs before they go back and finish out the day of school.
Speaker 1:And sometimes it depends on what school and what grade level but they may be eating very early in the day, so they have all day. Let's say they eat at 10.30. Sometimes I've seen lunches as early as 10.30. If they've gotten to school between 7, 7 30, they had their breakfast and then maybe lunch at 10, 10, 30. Then they got to go the rest of the day and maybe they're riding the bus. It's a long day without a snack in between. So and you could pack that snack for them that school or the teacher doesn't have to provide necessarily. So just make sure that they have something that they can have before they go home or in between 11 and 3 or whatever the schedule is for that student, but or if it's the other way around and they get to school at 7, 7, 30, the breakfast and their lunch isn't till one o'clock the same thing. They need something in between that.
Speaker 1:Now, I always kept something. I always kept those little goldfish. I'd buy a big box of that and we always had snack time because their lunch wasn't. They were little kids and their lunch wasn't until 12.30. So I would always have something for them. So, and in other cases where it was the opposite way, it was way too early and I knew going all day and we'd have an afternoon snack or a treat of some type, and I did the goldfish and if it was a hot summer day, we did the no sugar popsicle things outside. You know those are something else that the kids can have as a treat and kind of cool them off and give them a little extra treat in the afternoon. It doesn't take long to do that either. You know you got 10, 15 minutes out of your day that you give to them and I realize our days are packed, but if they are feeling hungry it's going to make your job easier if they feel like they're not hungry, in order to teach them.
Speaker 1:One of the things I've learned, and I saw that I wanted to talk also about, is how much we waste in the cafeteria here in America. I don't know about other countries. I know that I've read where they use the leftover food and give it to the homeless or whatever, but here in the States you have to throw everything away. So even if they took it let's say they took an apple but they didn't eat it or they took a banana and they didn't eat it it gets thrown in the trash, it and. Or they took a banana and they didn't eat it it gets thrown in the trash, and we waste so much food here and so many people are hungry here too. So, uh, I I would like to see somehow somebody change that law. If anybody knows anybody that works in the in the school system cafeteria that could go and and advocate for that.
Speaker 1:The list and I would like to also see somebody like list the foods that are most likely to be thrown away in a cafeteria and I think in my experience and this is just not me really doing an investigation or anything, but I think the fruits are one of them. But they need the fruit, you know, especially like the whole fruits, like a whole apple or whole orange or a banana. Sometimes those fruit cups if they're not syrupy, you know it put them in kind of a different water type thing base are better for kids to try to eat, and especially if they're cold and it's a hot summer day. But I think that's another thing that that needs to be done is somebody kind of make a list and see what is being thrown away and why. Um have school calendars available to all parents and I know that they make copies and they put them in the teacher's mailbox a lot of times and they put it online and stuff which it needs to make sure it goes online or maybe do a mass like email type things that they get it in an email or a text or something like that, not just at home or put on the website, because sometimes parents don't pay attention to that. So that way maybe the parents can see well, my kid doesn't like to eat this or that, so we're not going to pack it and try to not have too many carbs, reduce carbs and have more proteins and vegetables and fruit. And I know the schools really do try and I'm not saying that they don't to have a balanced nutrition. They do offer like they'll offer carrots and celery'm not saying that they don't to have a balanced nutrition. They do offer like they'll offer carrots and celery and stuff like that, but the kids don't always. You know, those are another, probably another item that really gets thrown away, and so maybe try to do something different with that.
Speaker 1:Also, I think that all kids should have free lunches, especially when you're in a country that has wealth, and as much as we do that. No kids should go without food. A lunch, none. It's just not necessary for us not to provide that. So, you know, have make sure you have a balanced diet, which the cafeterias, I have to say, they do try to do that. But I think the biggest thing is the waste of food that I see happens at a cafeteria and the cafeteria. People all know it too. It's not something like oh you know, we didn't know that I've seen food dumped out that it just makes you want to cry. Almost Such a waste that our kids or they make a mess or spill things and stuff like that, which we can't help all that. So those are a couple of things that I wanted to to say Now, if you're, if you're doing at home and you're homeschooling, I want to also address that a little bit.
Speaker 1:You know, you also need a balanced diet. Or they might just eat chips, or too much fruit juices, things like that, and we're just pounding the sugar into them. Is what we're doing and we really need to look at that and stop that, you know, because it doesn't make a healthy kid, it doesn't help them to learn, their bodies are not being fed how they should be fed and they need nutrition is what they need. A balanced meal. And I know you say, well, they don't eat it, but in time that they would. I'm not saying to starve them or anything, but they will adjust and stuff.
Speaker 1:So think about when you're trying to get them to eat something. So they like to eat this certain kind of bread, let's just say, for example, or a certain bag of chips. So don't think of the chips or the bread, but think of the texture and the smell of that and see what you can replace with something more healthy with the chips or the bread or whatever the situation is. See what items you can come up with to kind of replace them and think of the textures and the smell and the feel that could be similar to what they're eating, and try to introduce it that way. So, because our kids are very sensitive and so that texture in the mouth is going to affect how they eat and what they eat and they also get into a habit, like we all do, and so we need to kind of little by little, try to switch. Maybe it's just a bite or two, maybe it's, you know, giving them encouragement, making a reward system. Take a bite of this, you know, or a spoonful of yogurt or something like that instead of ice cream. There's ways to come up with kind of replacing that, and you can do some research too on that. Get online, talk to other parents. What did they come up with? And try to encourage your child to come up with different ideas. What would they be willing to do?
Speaker 1:Let's do one new thing this week and you pick which food you want to try this week, go to the grocery store with them and say okay, you pick out the one item that you want to try this week.
Speaker 1:I don't know if it's for kids or not, but I know like for adults it should be 20, no more than 25 grams of sugar through, I guess, the day. So no more than that. So, and if I try to look at the items on the sugar content, and I I know for me it is best to have something that seven or below the lower the better as far as your sugar. Now, fruits have sugar, but they're not processed sugar, so it's a little bit better and they should be eaten with a meal. So those are just some tips that I've learned. I'm not a doctor, I'm not a nutritionist or anything like that, but those are just some tips that I've learned. Okay, so I'm going to let you go today and I'm going to try to do another one this week. I hope you guys are having a great week, or will have a great week, and take care, and I'll talk to you soon. Bye, bye.
