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Feingold Lunchbox Suggestions

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Feingold Diet Lunch Suggestions for Kids

Packing a kid's lunch box five days a week can be challenging, especially if you have a picky eater or a child with food allergies. But what do you do when your child is not only picky and has food allergies, but is also on a very specialized diet? Packing lunches with all these restrictions can be even trickier.

You are what you eat. We've all heard that, but we rarely stop to think about that beyond how our food intake can effect our weight or physical health. Many parents have discovered that the food you eat can effect all sorts of things - especially behavior. The Feingold Diet eliminates artificial food coloring, flavoring and sweeteners, and salicylates (stricter version also eliminate gluten, casein, and whey). Often, eliminating these thing will have a very positive effect on a child's behavior. But, it can be hard for a parent to come up with lunches for their child to take to school that doesn't include all these things - and school is really where a kid needs to have a clear mind and good behavior! Hopefully this lens will give you some ideas for packing a Feingold approved lunch!

Sandwich Fillers

You can still pack your child's favorite sandwich for lunch - with some minor adjustments of course (use your Feingold Food List to find approved products in the store). Use bread, biscuits, pitas or crackers to add some variety.

Here are some great ideas for filling sandwiches:
  • Tuna Salad - add things to spice it up such as celery, walnuts, grated carrots, or dill
  • Sliced Meats - Turkey, Chicken, Roast Beef - they all make great sandwiches. Add lettuce, cheese, or something crunchy like cucumbers. Chop up the meat & mix with the other ingredients to make chicken salad.
  • Butters - While butter and bananas can make a great sandwich, I'm referring to butters with more substance - peanut, almond, sunflower, etc. Add jelly, honey, fruit slices, or cream cheese to make a yummy sandwich.
  • Cheese - Grilled cheese is always great, but you can also just make a basic cheese sandwich. You could also use cream cheese instead of regular cheese and add fruit slices, nuts, or grated carrots to make a tasty meal.

5 Eco-Friendly Lunch Boxes

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Soups, Salads & Things

Soups and salads make great lunches and add some variety to the typical sandwich. Pack soups in a thermos to keep them warm until lunchtime. You can pack a variety of other items in a thermos as well, such as stew, chili, and baked beans. Ramen and udon noodles make fun lunches as well. Be sure to add plenty of veggies and perhaps some meat to make a hearty meal.

When packing salads, keep the dressing separate in order to prevent the lettuce from wilting. Fruit can make a great addition to salad, but you may want to pack it separately as well. Top your salads with nuts, grated veggies, and raisins. Include croutons or crunchy chow mein noodles for added texture and cheese or a hard boiled egg for protein.

Reusable Lunch Containers

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Snacks & Treats

Eliminating artificial stuff from your diet doesn't mean you can't eat yummy snacks and treats. In fact, including treats in their lunch can help make your child feel that s/he isn't on a restrictive diet. Here are some great ideas for healthy snacks and treats you can include in your child's lunch box:
  • Yogurt makes a great dip for fruit slices and veggie sticks. You can also freeze the yogurt for a tasty treat.
  • Make your own fruit cups.
  • Potato chips, pretzels, and popcorn - make your own or buy FG approved brands
  • Make your own trail mix out of nuts, dried fruit, and approved cereal

Top 5 Kid's Bento Boxes

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Other Feingold-friendly lunch ideas

You don't have to stick to the traditional sandwich and fruit for lunches! In fact, what kid isn't going to get bored eating the same thing day in and day out? Spice things up a bit with some of these non-traditional, Feingold-friendly, home-packed lunch ideas:


  • Homemade pizza - send them to school with a slice or the fixings to put their own cold pizza together at school

  • Pasta - spaghetti, ziti, raviolis, tortellini - they're all easy to pack. Add a meatball or 2 and you've got a great lunch

  • Meat wraps - forget the bread and crackers and wrap a slice of meat around some veggies or cheese and call it a wrap

  • Veggie dippers - lunch doesn't always have to include meat, though kids do need protein. Create a veggie, cheese & fruit tray for their lunch

Anything you want to add?

  • TransplantedSoul Apr 20, 2012 @ 6:40 pm | delete
    Choosing lunches they will eat is a constant challenge. I had not heard of Feingold before.
  • TerriLorah Nov 18, 2010 @ 1:26 am | delete
    This is amazing. I heard of the Feingold Diet about 20+ years ago. I put my son on it when he was about 5 because he was so hyper. I didn't think that this was even around anymore. Thanks for making a really knowledgeable lens!
  • AkitaJitsu Nov 19, 2010 @ 12:29 am | delete
    Good things never die out! I'm amazed at how much better my son does when we stick with the program!!
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AkitaJitsu

I'm a single mom of a 5 year old boy and a 6 year old American Akita. My son has Childhood Apraxia of Speech, a neurological disorder that affects his... more »

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