Gluten Free Lunchbox Ideas for Kids

End of summer often marks back-to-school time and the daily challenge of keeping your child’s lunchbox fresh, enticing and gluten free. Your child may be restricted to a gluten free diet because of health reasons or you simply promote a gluten free lifestyle in your home. Either way, there are many gluten free lunchbox ideas for kids that allow you to pack up a healthy, yet gluten free lunchbox for your child for when they are away from home.

We have highlighted a few in this post.

Gluten Free Lunchbox Ideas

Protein

It is important to start with a healthy protein and luckily, many of these options are already gluten free. Choose from:

• Organic deli meats
• Cheese
• Chicken breasts
• Chicken salad or turkey salad
• Nut butters

Complex Carbohydrates

Essential for nutrition but also for energy, complex carbohydrates are what will give your child energy throughout the day as these foods take longer to digest than say, a piece of fruit. Some options include:

• Whole grain breads
• Whole grain crackers, like our Cheddar Cheese Snackers
• Hummus
• Fruits and vegetables either in a salad, for dipping or plain. You can also make these ingredients into neat little kabobs which kids love.

Fatty Acids

You can find essential fatty acids in many gluten free foods and for the most part, children’s diets usually contain plenty of these. However, you will want to make sure you are adding in healthy fatty acids not just from things like soybean oil, safflower oil and corn oil, but also from fish oils and flax seed.

• Gluten free, whole grain breads with flax
• Salads with olive oil added
• Muffins with added fruits and flax seeds
• Tuna or cream cheese with salmon added

Dessert

Every child loves a little added treat for when they finish their meal and luckily, there are a lot of gluten free lunchbox ideas for kids these days whether you just want to buy something for convenience or you take the time to make something yourself. Making something in your own kitchen does ensure that there is no gluten included. Think about:

• Rice krispie treats
• Gluten free brownies
• Oatmeal cookies
• Fruit salad with fruit dip
• Fruit snacks
• Three Bakers Chocolate Chip Snackers

Making sure that you include lean protein, complex carbohydrates, fruits, veggies and healthy fats will ensure that your child is getting all of the nutrients that they need but in a gluten free lunchbox. If you have a child that is a bit older, they may even be able to become involved in the packing process so you know they’ll eat what you pack.