Remember how we talked about the importance of choosing Power Foods for breakfast to jump-start your day? We can think of breakfast as our jump-start meal, and lunch as our refuel stop. Lunch-time is usually around the middle of the day, when we have burned off our Power Food fuel, and need some more energy to stay mindful and focused for the last half of the day. The kind of lunch you eat, and when you eat your lunch, will affect your ability to concentrate and your mood later in the day.

Just like every meal, your Mindful Lunch Choices are about being balanced and healthy. The food you put into your body equals the energy you get out of it! Mindfulness is all about finding balance in the mind AND body. If you eat too much, you might feel sleepy and foggy. If you eat too little, you might feel easily annoyed and like you can’t concentrate very well either. Take some time to digest after you eat. Our body can take a few minutes to catch up and realize we’re full.

Another way to make our Mindful Lunch choices is based on the kind of energy we need later in the day. For example, if we know that we will be playing sports later, we want to be sure to stay hydrated and eat foods that will give us energy for a long time. The number one thing we want to stay away from at lunch-time is food that is high in sugar. Sugar will make you feel great and give you lots of energy for a VERY short amount of time. Once the sugar wears off, you might even find yourself with less energy than you started with!

Can you think of some balanced, Mindful Lunch Choices that you can make at school to refuel?

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Teacher’s Tip: You might put up a poster of healthy lunch foods so that the kids have a visual reference.

Student’s Tip: Now that we’ve created a list of Mindful Lunch Choices at school, think about some Mindful Lunch Choices you can make at home too.