Healthy Lunch Ideas for Vegetarian Kids

In recent times many children have taken after their parents and chosen to become vegetarians. A slight problem that vegetarian parents do face is finding healthy lunch ideas for vegetarian kids at school. With nut products banned from elementary schools due to allergies, parents find it difficult to pack a wholesome meal for their kids. Since nuts are a brilliant source of proteins in vegetarian diets parents have to look for alternative protein enriched sources for their kids.

Concerns of parents over the quality and variety of nutritious school lunches have led many schools to publish their lunch menus in advance. This way parents can overview the different lunch menus and educate their child about choosing the proper selection of vegetarian foods. If a school falls short of a vegetarian diet plan, parents can either pack kids lunches at home or persuade the parents’ forum to ask for change. 

Major supermarkets carry vegetarian diets which are ready to eat. Most meals are made from soy protein, providing kids with all essential nutrients they need. Cheese is also a great source of protein and can be taken in sandwiches, tortilla wraps or crackers. Children enjoy different kinds of cheese top choices include mozzarella, cheddar and havarti. Then there are other protein sources like hummus (made from chick peas), egg salad and egg sandwiches. 

Essential Food Groups 

A well balanced vegetarian lunch should include assortments from the four basic food groups. The first is protein. Protein is essential for kids between ages 4 and 10 and dried beans, peanut butter, eggs and cheese are recommended items. Grain products are second on the list; preferably the choice should be whole grain such as bread and crackers, alternatively bread sticks and unsweetened cereals can be used. 

Fruits and vegetables are the main course of the vegetarian diet, at least one of each should be added to the lunch, a can of tomato juice, mix vegetable juice and unsweetened juice can be included to mix things up every now and then. At least one item from the dairy product category should be in your child’s vegetarian lunch, examples are milk, cheese or yogurt.

Getting kids involved in lunch preparation is a good way to teach them about essential nutrients and to learn what they like and dislike. Parents can take time at grocery shopping and choose a good variety for a perfect vegetarian meal and plan meals with children over the weekend. Children over 12 can obviously prepare their own lunch and if not can help their parents prepare lunch. Healthy vegetarian lunches can take a little more preparation, but they are a lot of fun for kids to eat, especially when they have taken part in lunch selection and preparation.  

 Check out my other articles for more healthy lunch ideas!