The Case of the Missing Lunch!

The Case of the Missing Lunch!

Did you know that according to the USDA, 7-20 % of children in the United States do not consume lunch on a given day? Lunch, which provides micronutrients, is essential for children to maintain focus during class, have energy for extracurricular activities, and function properly throughout the school day.

A study was recently done by Mathias, K.C., Jacquier, E., and Eldridge, A.L., assessing the association with lower intakes of micronutrients from food and beverages among children and adolescents who missed lunch. 4,755 children ages 4 to 18 years were given surveys that analyzed each participants 24 hour dietary recall. From the survey the USDA identified that lunch for these aged children contributes for than 20% of the daily intake of micronutrients these participants receive. The study concluded that missing lunch is directly correlated with overall lower micronutrient intakes with lunch being the meal primarily responsible for providing these nutrients to kids of this population. 

What are micronutrients? Micronutrients are nutrients including vitamins and minerals, needed in small amounts, used in the body for proper function and cell maintenance.

 

 

What happens if my child doesn’t receive the micronutrients they need? When children or adults do not receive the proper micronutrients they need, they become deficient in these nutrients. Common signs of micronutrient deficiency to look for include: headaches, tiredness, enlarged thyroid, eye dryness, and pale tongue. To ensure that children receive the proper amount of micronutrients daily, they must consume proper nutrition at ALL meals. Skipping lunch is too big of a risk to take at this age of development.

 

 5 tips for encouraging lunch consumption:

1.      Involve your child in lunch planning, assembling, and packing.

a.       Encourage your child to choose whether they will be eating lunch at the school cafeteria, or bringing lunch from home.

2.      Try separating their foods

a.       Some children go through phases where they prefer their food not to touch. Often if their food is touching, they won’t eat it.

3.      Have an open dialogue

a.       Encourage your child to be open and honest about the foods they are eating. If the child is eating lunch at school, regularly ask if they are enjoying that lunch.

4.      Make a snack inspired lunch

a.       Children are often drawn to finger foods and need foods that are easily edible.

5.      Take the pressure away

a.       Often when children are pressured to consume something, they won’t.  When a child refuses to eat, don’t push them. Though frustrating, often children need to learn their food palate in their own ways. Don’t give up! Keep trying to introduce foods! 

Example foods that contain micronutrients:

Micronutrient	Dietary sources (in descending order)	Especially important for
Calcium	Sardines, salmon, turnip greens, kale, bok choi, broccoli	Older women, people with eating disorders, and vegetarians
Folate	Beef liver, spinach, asparagus, avocado, papaya, and broccoli	Pregnant women and nursing mothers
Iodine	Seaweed, cod, iodized salt, shrimp, eggs, tuna, prunes, apple juice, green peas, bananas	Pregnant women and people who do not use iodized salt
Iron	Clams, oysters, organ meats, pumpkin and squash seeds, spinach, beef, sardines, duck, and lamb	Pregnant women or nursing mothers, ex-vegetarians
Magnesium	Almonds, spinach, cashews, potatoes, bananas, milk, raisins, halibut, and avocado	Diabetics, alcoholics, and anyone with chronic malabsorptive disorders
Phosphorous	Any kind of meat	Bulimics, people with chronic diarrhea, or people who use prescription diuretics or laxatives
Potassium	Sweet potatoes, beet greens, potatoes, clams, halibut, yellowfin tuna, and winter squash	Bulimics, people with chronic diarrhea, or people who use prescription diuretics or laxatives
Selenium	Brazil nuts, tuna, cod, turkey, chicken breast, chuck roast, sunflower seeds, and ground beef	Anyone with a chronic malabsorptive disorder
Vitamin A	Sweet potatoes, liver (beef or chicken), spinach, carrots, cantaloupe, red peppers, mangos, dried apricots, broccoli, herring, milk, eggs, squash, salmon, pistachios, and tuna	People with alcohol dependence
Vitamin B6	Beef liver, yellow fin tuna, sockeye salmon, chicken breast, turkey, banana, ground beef, and squash	Older adults, people with kidney problems, autoimmune disorders, or alcohol dependence.
Vitamin B12	Clams, liver, trout, salmon, tuna, haddock, beef, milk, ham, and eggs	People with malabsorptive disorders and vegetarians
Vitamin C	Red peppers, oranges, kiwifruit, green peppers, broccoli, strawberries, Brussels sprouts, grapefruit, cantaloupe, cabbage, cauliflower, potatoes, tomatoes, spinach, and green peas	Smokers and people with chronic malabsorptive disorders
Vitamin D	Swordfish, salmon, tuna, sardines, beef liver, and egg yolks	People who get little or no sun exposure on a regular basis, diabetics.
Vitamin E	Sunflower seeds, almonds, hazelnuts, olive oil, spinach, broccoli, kiwifruit, mango, and tomatoes	(deficiency of Vitamin E is rare)
Vitamin K	Kale, spinach, turnip greens, collard greens, Swiss chard, mustard greens, parsley, romaine lettuce, green leaf lettuce, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage	People on antibiotics

 

 

Main article: 

Mathias, K. C., Jacquier, E., & Eldridge, A. L. (2016). Missing Lunch Is Associated with Lower Intakes of Micronutrients from Foods and Beverages among Children and Adolescents in the United States. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 116(4), 667-676. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2015.12.021