Ortho-Friendly School Lunch
As school is back in session parents often stress about what to pack their kiddos for lunch, having a child in braces can be even more stressful when it comes to lunch and snack time. Here At Golden Kids Dental And Orthodontics, we want to ease your stress and provide helpful tips for a healthy and ortho-friendly lunch. Below are some examples of meals and snacks to keep your kiddo energized and happy throughout their school day.
Foods to avoid when packing your child’s lunch:
When packing your child’s lunch you want to avoid sticky and crunchy foods that may cause the hardware in your child’s mouth to break or even loosen. Sweet foods are often restricted during treatment because of the increased risk of decay. Foods that we want to avoid are:
- Hard Pretzels
- Apples
- Carrots
- Nuts
- Beef Jerky
- Corn on the cob
- Gummy Sweets
- Gatorade or sweet sports drinks
- Begals
- Meat on the bone
- Popcorn
Some of these foods seem a little weird to be on this list right? Healthy foods like carrots and apples are off limits because biting into one of them can cause broken brackets or hardware. If you’re packing lunch be mindful of how certain foods may be healthy but if they are hard and require you to bite into them then they aren’t the best choice.
Good Food Choices For Packing School Lunch:
Foods that have a soft texture and are high in nutrition are great choices for school lunches. There are more food options than you think when it comes down to good choices for School Lunch.
- Pb&J
- Tuna Sandwich
- Chicken
- Casseroles
- Green beans
- Sliced Lunch Meats
- Applesauce
- Pudding
- Jello
- Avocados
- Canned Fruits
- Soft/ Boiled Eggs
- Yogurt
These foods are all good examples of fulfilling foods that are still friendly enough to not cause any harm to your braces. Eating foods like the ones listed above can help you get through your orthodontic treatment in your estimated time frame or even sooner than expected!
Hot Lunch Go-Tos:
If your child eats hot lunch at school it may seem like they’re going to have more restrictions when it comes to lunch. Although Schools provide a variety of braces-friendly choices. Foods to look out for are:
- MacNCheese
- Pasta
- Soft Pizza
- Mozzarella sticks
- Fish Sticks
- Fruit Salads
- Rice
- Soft French Fries
- Hamburgers with a soft bun
- Chili or soups
On Days that School lunch isn’t provided such as field trip days make sure that your kiddo has a braces-friendly lunch.
Snacks for kids in braces:
- Oranges
- Gogurt
- Frozen yogurt
- Strawberries
- Grapes
- Peanut butter
- French toast sticks
- Hot Pockets
- Bean and cheese burritos
- Grapes
- Watermelon
- Soft Cereal bars
Snack Time is important and with braces, there are only a few things that we have to leave out of the mix of options. Now that we showed you the dos and don’ts of School Lunch we want to wish each and every one of your kiddos a happy and safe school year!