Several people have recently asked what I pack for my kids for lunch. I usually let the kids choose what I pack and have them help me prep the night before.  Since we have cleared our pantry and refrigerator of processed foods, they only have whole food choices to choose from.

This is what my daughter chose to take with her to lunch today:

– Organic ham wrapped in local pesticide free hydroponic bibb lettuce. We bought the ham at the deli counter at Wegmans. If the deli in your store does not carry organic lunch meats, Applegate farms makes a pre-packaged organic, nitrite free turkey and ham.

When eating lunch meat, one thing to steer clear of is sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate, which is found in a lot of lunch meats, bacon, sausage, and hot dogs. It is a salt that helps to prevent bacterial cultivation of foods and makes them appear fresh.  It can lead to formation of cancer-causing molecules that can result in tumor formation. Both sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate have been linked to significantly increasing the risk of colon and other forms of cancer, so be sure to choose only uncured meat products made without nitrates, and preferably from grass-fed sources (http://www.organicconsumers.org/foodsafety/processedmeat050305.cfm).

(I eat these lettuce wraps often for lunch.  I usually use organic turkey or ham, organic sweet roasted peppers (jarred), organic pickles, avocado and stone ground mustard.  They are delicious!)

– Organic kosher baby dill pickles (organic cucumbers, water, organic distilled vinegar, salt, calcium chloride, organic garlic chips, organic dillweed oil, organ gum arabic, organic natural spice flavors, xanthan gum).  Most jarred pickles contain sodium benzoate, which is why we choose to purchase organic ones.

– Organic carrots.  We cut and peeled these ourselves versus purchasing baby carrots because my daughter LOVES to peel carrots and she loves helping to prepare her lunch. I feel when I get my kids involved in the meal planning process, they are more open to trying new things.

– Organic raspberries.

– Water. She uses a Klean Kanteen water bottle.

My daughter has a PlanetBox.  You can purchase these from Amazon.com or Pottery Barn Kids.  Here are some details about the lunchbox — my favorite part is that it is non-toxic and dishwasher safe! There is a pouch that holds a thermos on the outside of the lunch bag, we always fill this with water.

• Complete eco-friendly solution designed to make packing healthy lunches easy and fun
• Includes stainless steel lunchbox, 2 round lidded containers; a soft carry bag, and set of hip magnets
• Individual compartments ensure foods don’t touch each other and arrive looking neat and appealing
• Made out of safe, non-toxic, and recycled materials – no lead, PVC, phthalates, or BPA
• All in one piece design for easy care and cleaning – no mismatched lids to lose – dishwasher safe

~ We need to teach our children TO EAT REAL FOOD. No Fast Foods. No Junk Foods. No Processed Foods. Just Honest, Nutritious, Real Food.