{"id":523,"date":"2019-08-18T11:08:43","date_gmt":"2019-08-18T11:08:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.longfamilydental.com\/blog\/?p=523"},"modified":"2025-02-20T14:33:46","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T14:33:46","slug":"childrens-dentist-healthy-school-lunch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.longfamilydental.com\/blog\/2019\/08\/18\/childrens-dentist-healthy-school-lunch\/","title":{"rendered":"Want To Pack Healthy School Lunches? Get Tips From a Children\u2019s Dentist"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-524\" src=\"https:\/\/www.longfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/A-healthy-lunch-being-packed-into-a-container-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"A healthy lunch being packed into a container\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.longfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/A-healthy-lunch-being-packed-into-a-container-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.longfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/A-healthy-lunch-being-packed-into-a-container-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.longfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/A-healthy-lunch-being-packed-into-a-container.jpg 821w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>Can you believe that another summer is over and it\u2019s already back-to-school time? While it\u2019s certainly a busy time for any family, it\u2019s also a great opportunity to start the year right by learning how to pack healthy school lunches. Along with scheduling checkups with a children\u2019s dentist and encouraging good brushing and flossing, low-sugar lunches are one of the best things you can do to keep your child\u2019s smile healthy. Below, you\u2019ll learn about the impact of sugar and get some great ideas for packing a healthy lunch for your child each day.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h2>How Does Sugar Cause Cavities?<\/h2>\n<p>Everyone has bacteria in their mouth, including a specific strain that causes cavities. When these bacteria consume sugars and carbohydrates, they produce acid that eats away at the enamel. And when your child eats or drinks sugar frequently, the risk of cavities is very high.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to being bad for the teeth, sugar also increases the chances of childhood obesity and diabetes. Unfortunately, sugar is everywhere, even in foods that you wouldn\u2019t expect. And while it\u2019s fine for kids to enjoy sugar every now and then, eating it at breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day can be very detrimental for both their oral and general health.<\/p>\n<h2>Healthy Foods and Not-So-Healthy Foods<\/h2>\n<p>Here are some convenient, low-sugar foods to include in your child\u2019s lunches:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Lunch meat and cheese \u201croll-ups\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Tuna fish salad<\/li>\n<li>String cheese<\/li>\n<li>Apple slices<\/li>\n<li>Soup<\/li>\n<li>Cheesy broccoli and cauliflower<\/li>\n<li>Nuts<\/li>\n<li>Olives<\/li>\n<li>Guacamole or spinach dip with veggies<\/li>\n<li>Egg salad or simply boiled eggs with salt<\/li>\n<li>Coleslaw<\/li>\n<li>Plain (sugar-free) yogurt with fresh or frozen fruit<\/li>\n<li>Peanut butter and celery<\/li>\n<li>Popcorn (you can experiment with garlic salt, dried herbs, parmesan cheese, etc. to keep it interesting)<\/li>\n<li>Meatballs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Avoid these foods altogether or only include them as a special treat:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Candy, especially sticky or gummy candies that get stuck in the teeth.<\/li>\n<li>Sports drinks contain both acids and sugars. If consumed frequently, they can cause rampant tooth decay.<\/li>\n<li>Dried fruit<\/li>\n<li>Juices<\/li>\n<li>Flavored yogurts that contain sugar<\/li>\n<li>Granola<\/li>\n<li>Trail mix<\/li>\n<li>Smoothies that mainly contain juice or pureed fruits (whole fruit is better)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>And, as always, don\u2019t underestimate the importance of regular checkups with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.longfamilydental.com\/childrens-dentistry.html\">children\u2019s dentist<\/a> and good oral hygiene habits at home. Along with low-sugar lunches each day, these simple guidelines will keep your child\u2019s smile healthy and happy all year!<\/p>\n<h2>About the Author<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.longfamilydental.com\/meet-dr-chris-long.html\">Dr. Chris Long<\/a> is a family dentist with over 15 years of experience and also a father of two. He knows it can be difficult to pack healthy school lunches that children enjoy and often gives parents tips to help them minimize the risk of cavities. If you have any questions about dietary choices for your kids, he can be reached via his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.longfamilydental.com\/contact.html\">website<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Can you believe that another summer is over and it\u2019s already back-to-school time? While it\u2019s certainly a busy time for any family, it\u2019s also a great opportunity to start the year right by learning how to pack healthy school lunches. Along with scheduling checkups with a children\u2019s dentist and encouraging good brushing and flossing, low-sugar [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-523","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Want To Pack Healthy School Lunches? Get Tips From a Children\u2019s Dentist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It\u2019s back-to-school time! 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