Kid's Lunchboxes

I wish I had known about low-carb eating when my kids were quite small. My son, who is now seven, was just impossible. He ONLY liked carbohydrates. I am so glad that I personally knew of another mother who lost the vegetable fight with her son. He is about four inches shorter than his sister. I was determined that that was not going to happen to my son. My daughter, now ten, has quite a sophisticated palette. I'm not worried about her.

When my son was about two, I had a showdown. He would be served broccoli every night until he ate it. Unlike Joan Crawford of Mommy Dearest fame, my entreaties were coupled with funny antics of "Broccoli makes you strong!" with arms held up like a wrestler and pretend games of being a giant gobbling up the trees. Eventually I, my mother, his father and sister must have worn down his resistance because broccoli is the only vegetable he eats consistently-- everyday. He occasionally eats celery with cream cheese. I just make sure he eats a huge serving of broccoli every night to make up for the lack of a vegetable at lunchtime.

So.... making my kids' lunches on the lower carb side is a challenge. Hot lunches are out of the question since they conform to the food pyramid, which should be banned both for its content and for its lack of appreciation for good and bad carbs and good and bad fats.

Sandwiches:

I use Country Kitchen Low Carb bread at 4 net carbs per slice. It is smaller than the Arnold low carb bread, but I don't care. (Lepage bakery, which puts out this bread, doesn't even have it listed on its website. And I wanted to give them an award for their marketing on the bag!) The kids think it tastes just fine.

For the filling, I use either peanut butter (Simply Jif or Carb Option Skippy, Simply Jif is cheaper) and jelly (low carb Splenda varieties (keto or Steel's) that I buy online that truly are delicious -- we prefer the Keto brand), or a deli meat like the non-nitrate bologna with mustard or mayonaise.

Sometimes my daughter will let me make her a low carb wrap. She thinks that a wrap might single her out as being on a diet. Kids, what do you do. Anyhow, these wraps, which I can't live without, are ordered online. My husband takes one to work every day and they have only 3 grams net carbs and are loaded with fiber.

Fruit

My daughter will eat oranges, apples, melon or berries. My son only likes apples cut up into big pieces or pears. (I don't like to give him pears all the time.) If I cut up the apples for him, they turn brown. As an alternative, I give him applesauce flavored with Spenda from Musselman's. Total carbs are 12 grams, sugar 8 grams, and fiber 2 grams so a net 10 grams of carbs. This is lower than the nonsweetened version put out by Motts.

Yogurt

With Dannon Carb Control Yogurt, I now can add this snack! I am so happy! (But it is way too expensive, when are the other yogurt companies going to come out with a low carb brand? And when are they going to put them in a sleeve with Yu gi Oh pictures so my kids can be like the other kids?)

Vegetables

I put raw cauliflower or a peeled cucumber in my daughter's lunch. My son is forced to eat a double serving of broccoli at night.

Snacks

I've given up not giving them some carbs at lunch time, but I have now found some low carb alternatives. The kids will only eat Girlfriend's Booty (barbecue flavor) and Hain's Carbfit Twirls (nacho cheese flavor.) See this munchie battle for more. I can only find both of these in the large packages at Stop & Shop. (I am truly shocked that Trader Joe's doesn't carry Girlfriend's Booty!) I find myself buying the Girlfriend's Booty because it is $1 cheaper than the Carbfit Twirls. (This premium pricing has got to stop soon!)

When the kids come home from school, I give them SmartFood -- the regular SmartFood and not the low fat version (companies certainly know how to take out fat and add carbs, don't they?) I buy the SmartFood individual packs. I know that this makes more money for the company, but portion control is worth the cost to me. SmartFood has 9 grams of carbs, 1 grams of sugar, and 1 grams of fiber for a net 8 grams of carbs for 5/8 of an ounce.

Nuts

My daughter will eat them. My son won't.

Beef Jerky

I occasionally give my daughter a small Slim Jim in her lunch. If I were a beef jerky manufacturer, I would put out a no sugar low carb no trans fat option right away! The Slim Jim website gets my award for the WORST food site in existence. It is focusing on one segment of the population, teen boys. You can't find nutritional information for the life of you (what are they trying to hide) and I wrote to them about this months ago and they haven't fixed it. If anyone has an alternative to Slim Jims, please email me!

Candy

I occasionally put in a Reese's no sugar cup. These are very small and the kids feel that they aren't deprived.

I have tried giving them soy pretzels, etc., but they aren't buying them -- yet.

Cookies

I have found two cookies that both my kids like. (They are thrilled when I put them in their lunchbox.) The one I put in most often is the BP Gourmet, the Smarter Carb, chocolate covered meringue. This is only sold at Crosbys in our area. Trader Joe's doesn't carry this flavor -- yet, and either does Stop & Shop, although they do carry The Smarter Carb line.

The second cookie that they both like is Low Carb Creations Gourmet Snickerdoodle Cookies or Coconut Cookies. These are much more expensive. One box only has 4 cookies, but they are big, and delicious!

For lunches at home, see my low carb recipe index that includes low carb pizza, etc.

Please email me with your choices for your kids!

Comments

[bob]

you are an anti-carb fascist!!!! you are depriving your children of needed nutrients!!!!!!!!

i am going to report you to the social services for child abuse!!!

[Jim]

No, she's making different nutritional choices. She's as much entitled to her opinion as you are to yours Bob. Maybe you should mind your own business and let her run her life the way she wants to.

[Sue]

I think sugar is the root of the problem with kids. They eat far too much of it and it's dangerous, frankly. I see no reason with limiting carbs with kids, especially the nasty refined ones.

[Katherine]

Sue, you are so right! Why not give them whole wheat bread with a high fiber count rather than refined white bread with no fiber? Why not give them an orange rather than orange juice? Why not give them whipped cauliflower rather than french fries? I don't understand why this is even an issue.

Katherine

[Anne]

Hi, Katherine -- great site!

I worry about the double whammy of caffeine and sugar. The Small Child displays much more anxiety and nervous behavior (not to mention short attention span, etc.) when both are in his system. I've found nutritional expectations do not mean much to in-laws.

We do try to do Kool Aid, with Splenda (the large bag measures cup-to-cup with sugar).

We just got into beef jerky, which turns out to be very easy to make at home. Slice off all the fat, season or marinate to taste, and hang or lay across the racks in your oven, set at 90-100 degrees. Mine starts at 130, so I leave the oven door open. It takes about 24-30 hours, and is so completely different from commercial jerky you would not believe it.

[Julie]

Thanks for the lunchbox ideas... The foods that are served at our school are loaded with carbs (except salad, which she doesn't really like) and I'm always looking for new ideas for packing lunches so my daughter won't get bored with the same old things. We love the Country Kitchen Low Carb bread (4g per slice - yeah!). She likes the low carb wraps from Netrition as pizzas, but we haven't found a way to make that portable for school lunch.

[Katherine]

Anne,

You said, "I've found nutritional expectations do not mean much to in-laws."

Double yes to that one! My mom used to bring cheese crackers or Oreo cookies to church for my kids to snack on in the pews. I tried to give her the message numerous times. I finally blew my stack! (And she wasn't even an in-law, she was my mother so I could do it.)

Katherine

[Briana]

As a nutrition major, I have to tell you what you are doing is RIDICULOUS. There is no reason for you to be serving your children this chemically-altered crap. If it is a matter of them needing to lose weight, fine. Feed them healthy whole grains such as brown rice, whole-wheat bread, and oatmeal. Feed them fruits and vegetables and nonfat milk. But for heavens sake stop shoveling them full of splenda and low-carb crap. If you knew anything about nutrition you would know that carbohydrates are what the human body uses for ENERGY. Remember, anything in excess is dangerous and you are taking your low-carb obsession to that dangerous point by applying it to your poor children. Also, by overemphasizing the low carb diet you are showing your daughter that she needs to worry about her weight at a young age--do you think that's a good role model? Come on, think!!!

[HOBO]

Geez lady, make some food yourself for once. Does everything have to be bought? I feel sorry for your kids.

[pat]

Yikes! You say your daughter has a varied palette? You don't want to give your son too many pears? But you give them so much Splenda. Your son would probably have a much more varied diet if you loosened up. Whole grain spaghetti is a terrific way to hide veggies especially w/ sauce. Make him a sweet potato! What are you going to do when they are in High school or go to friends' houses. They'll have to say no to everything cause they won't be able to choose wisely from "regular" food.
I'm a low carb eater but my daughter is free to choose any foods inc pasta. She is normal weight and healthy maybe because this 14 yr old likes healthy regular food, dairy, all fruits and most veggies and eats enough fiber. This was achieved by offering all these foods over and over again and in different ways and often hidden when she was little. To this day she will taste ANY food that I offer.

[pat]

Yikes! You say your daughter has a varied palette? You don't want to give your son too many pears? But you give them so much Splenda. Your son would probably have a much more varied diet if you loosened up. Whole grain spaghetti is a terrific way to hide veggies especially w/ sauce. Make him a sweet potato! What are you going to do when they are in High school or go to friends' houses. They'll have to say no to everything cause they won't be able to choose wisely from "regular" food.
I'm a low carb eater but my daughter is free to choose any foods inc pasta. She is normal weight and healthy maybe because this 14 yr old likes healthy regular food, dairy, all fruits and most veggies and eats enough fiber. This was achieved by offering all these foods over and over again and in different ways and often hidden when she was little. To this day she will taste ANY food that I offer.