5 Brain-Boosting Lunch Ideas For Summer

What your child eats is important for their development. It's also important for how well their brain functions on a day-to-day basis. If your child doesn't get the nutrients they need, their cognitive abilities will suffer.

Some kids aren't into healthy foods, but there are some good options that are both nutritious and delicious. The best part? These healthy food options may also boost their brainpower while school is out. Let’s dive into some brain-boosting lunch ideas for summer.

What foods help stimulate your brain?
There are quite a few brain boosting-foods to choose from. They include:

• Fatty fish
• Coffee
• Blueberries
• Turmeric
• Broccoli
• Pumpkin seeds
• Dark chocolate
• Nuts
• Oranges
• Eggs
• Green tea

Getting your child to eat some of these foods may be an uphill battle. Others, however, can be made into delicious lunches they'll love.

What is good brain food for lunch?
The problem with a lot of brain-boosting summer foods is that they aren't the most kid-friendly. A lot of kids shy away from foods they've never tried, so including familiar yet healthy foods in their lunch is vital. It's one thing to pack a healthy lunch, but if your kid isn't eating what you've packed, they're not reaping the benefits.

Summer lunch ideas for kids
When putting together a summer lunch for your child, try to balance healthy and tasty. That way you know your kid will eat the food and reap its benefits. Some brain-boosting summer foods you can include in your child's lunch include:

Boiled egg snack box
Eggs are highly nutritious. They contain several nutrients that play a role in brain development and cognitive ability, including:

• Choline
• Vitamin B12
• Protein
• Selenium

To incorporate eggs into your child's lunch, you could make a child-friendly treat box. Put together some nuts, a hardboiled egg or two, a handful of blueberries, and some cheese cubes. It's something different to the usual PB and J, and it’s both tasty and nutritious.

Berry salads
Many children love berries because of their sweetness. Since there are so many berry varieties, there is sure to be one that your child will love to eat. These summer foods are always a good choice because they contain high amounts of plant compounds known as anthocyanins. These compounds help to increase blood flow to the brain and produce new nerve cells that help with memory and learning.

Berries on their own are not a whole lunch, of course. However, you can add them to any type of salad your child will eat. Adding berries to green leafy vegetables will also get you a double brain boost. Spinach, kale, and green lettuce are all good choices because they are nutritional powerhouses. They contain folate, flavonoids, carotenoids, and vitamins E and K1.

To make a salad your child will love, mix together the berries, leafy greens, and their favorite cheese. Pour over some sweet vinaigrette and they'll completely forget they’re eating a healthy salad!

Healthy seafood sandwiches
Seafood is incredibly good for brain health and development. It contains omega-3 fatty acids, iodine, and zinc, three nutrients that are vital for brain function. Zinc plays a role in the production of nerve cells, and omega-3s are the holy grail for the good function of the brain.

For your kid’s lunch, try a salmon or tuna salad sandwich. To skip the heavy mayonnaise, you could use a mix of mustard and plain Greek yogurt for the tuna salad dressing. This will keep it light and tasty.

Orange and yogurt "creamsicle" parfait
Oranges are a sweet and nutritious fruit you can use to make a healthy lunch. The good news is that many kids love them for their ultra-sweet taste. The citrus fruit also contains flavonoids, which help boost brain function and can also aid in proper brain development.

Because of their high nutrient content, oranges can improve blood flow to the brain and increase nerve activity. Their high amounts of vitamin C also come in handy. Brain development and the production of neurotransmitters rely heavily on vitamin C.

To make a sweet lunch that your children will love, try layering orange slices with a creamy Greek yogurt. Vanilla works best for flavor, but if you want to skip the sugar content, you can use plain yogurt with a dash of honey. To finish it off, you can add their favorite nut or granola to create a brain-boosting meal that resembles their favorite dessert. Yogurt also contains iodine, which promotes proper brain development, so you're getting a double brain boost from this meal.

Kid-friendly spaghetti and chicken meatballs
If you're looking for a heartier lunch, look no further than spaghetti and meatballs. You can use wholegrain spaghetti noodles in place of white pasta. Using chicken in place of red meat will still provide your child with protein, iron, choline, and vitamins B6 and B12. All these nutrients play a large role in brain health and development.

Wholegrain noodles also have their share of brain-healthy nutrients such as B vitamins, iron, magnesium, and selenium. Many store-bought pasta sauces are sugary, but you can go light on the sauce or make your own ahead of time to avoid all that added sugar.

These kid-friendly lunches will be sure to please both the brain and the palate!

 

Featured image by Hillshire Farm on Unsplash