Ep 236 Gluten Free School Lunch Rescue

September 14, 2022 /

Let’s start the blog with the show notes for this Episode –

For many of us, September means the kids go back to school, and that means family meals pivot to include school lunches and snacks.  On this episode Registered Dietitian Selena Devries gives us some great suggestions on how to get your kids to eat healthy gluten free lunches and snacks.  We chat about sandwiches, all things dipped, back at home snacks, and even suggestions to streamline family dinners.  Here’s some links to check out for more information –

http://www.healthbean.ca/ where you can sign up for Selena’s newsletter and other resources

Instagram celiac_dietitian where you can follow her and ask questions on Tuesdays

https://pranaorganic.ca/  the granola Selena mentioned

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Celiac Kid Stuff – https://www.celiackidstuff.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

Other Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – https://glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com

My Thoughts –

Both of my daughters are now out of school and living their lives as adults, but it’s not hard for me to remember back to the frustration of school lunches.  As the girls got older, they took on making their own lunches, which relieved some pressure off me, and was a better bet that the food they took would be eaten.

School lunches for a celiac child are a big concern.  Packing up a lunch, not knowing if it’s going to be eaten in the safe, non-contaminated state it was packaged in, is just the beginning.  Preparing the teacher and your child for pivots from regular school days when there might be birthday cupcakes, or a pizza lunch was a big stressor.  Changing schools, often meant changing friend groups and I think as parents we worried more than the kids.

There are some things I learned sending school lunches with my celiac daughter.

  • Send food that looks fun to eat.
  • Don’t send unrecognizable foods that others might find weird – yes kids can be cruel.
  • Prepare finger foods, so even picky eaters can graze.
  • Send extra gluten free dessert, to allow for sharing if your child wants to.
  • Avoid the standard sandwich, as it is often difficult to eat and can make an embarrassing crumby mess.
  • Prepare de-constructed items, to allow the child to put things together to their liking while sitting with their friends.
  • Make sure to send foods with lots of flavour, the gluten free diet often gets a bad rap for being bland.

Hopefully, you’ll find one or two of my suggestions make the dreaded school lunch preparation and anxiety easier to handle.  Something I learned as my daughter got older was that I seemed more stressed about her meals than she ever did (even now).  I guess it’s a parent thing, so just take a deep breath, make a plan, be prepared to pivot, and don’t forget to ask for feedback and suggestions from your celiac child.  The gluten free diet can be hard, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun.