How Jessica Biel, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Other Moms Make Healthy School Lunches

As the back-to-school season kicks into full gear, packing a healthy and exciting lunch for kids is top of mind for many parents. But with research continuing to point to the negative aspects of ultra processed foods, many parents are looking to elevate plain sandwiches and chips.

However, getting kids to eat healthy lunches is notoriously difficult so we’re turning to some celebrity parents who have developed some standout strategies for tackling school lunches.

The new era of school lunches

The importance of school lunches has evolved as parents and educators recognize the role nutrition plays in children’s health. With up to 50 percent of a child’s daily caloric intake occurring during school hours, the need for balanced, healthy meals is crucial. 

Research shows that providing healthier school lunches can significantly reduce childhood obesity. Programs like the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA) of 2010 led to improved school meal standards, helping reduce childhood obesity across different age and income groups. A 15-year study published in JAMA Pediatrics noted that stricter nutrition guidelines resulted in decreased BMI levels among children between 2005 and 2020.

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RELATED: The Back to School Lunch Guide, From Allergy-Friendly Snacks to Vegan Recipes

Moreover, the availability of healthier options in school cafeterias encourages better food choices. One study found that introducing a wider variety of fruits in school lunches increased fruit consumption among students by 9.3 percent. These changes are vital, given the rise in childhood obesity, which has increased from 10 percent in the early 1980s to nearly 20 percent today. 

Healthy school lunches also help combat other health issues, such as type 2 diabetes, which is becoming more common in children.

This shift toward healthier meals represents a growing trend among schools and parents to ensure children develop good eating habits early, benefiting their long-term health and academic performance.

How celeb moms pack school lunches (plus one famous dad)

There is no doubt that packing healthy lunches has vast benefits for children but getting them to eat healthy food isn’t that easy. Here is how some celebrity parents are tackling the issue.

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1Jessica Seinfeld’s veggie-hiding trick

Jessica Seinfeld has long been an advocate of sneaking vegetables into meals. In her 2007 book Deceptively Delicious, the author popularized the idea of puréeing vegetables and adding them to foods her children already love. For example, she hides cauliflower in mac and cheese and blends carrots into pasta sauce.

This method allows parents to ensure their kids are getting essential nutrients without the fuss of trying to convince them to eat vegetables outright. 

Colgate

2Sarah Michelle Gellar’s bento box strategy

Sarah Michelle Gellar is slaying the art of bento boxes. The Buffy the Vampire Slayer actress ensures her kids’ lunches are a visual treat as much as they are nutritious meals. Gellar’s trick is to pack small portions of different foods into separate compartments, which helps balance the meal and makes it more exciting for her children to eat. 

Typical items in these bento boxes include fruits, vegetables, proteins—we like tofu or tempeh—and whole grains. 

“My son’s favorite thing is to basically bring a charcuterie board to school,” Gellar told ’CNN.’ “He likes to have his vegetables, his fruit, and his olive oil and salt.” 

Gellar’s goal is to make lunchtime fun while ensuring her kids get a balanced diet.

Teddi Mellencamp/Instagram

3Teddi Mellencamp’s banana hot dogs

Teddi Mellencamp, former star of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, opts for a playful approach to her kids’ lunches. She shared some of her favorite creations with E! Daily Pop, and they’re pretty inventive. 

One of her most innovative creations is the “banana hot dog,” where she places a banana in a hot dog bun and tops it with almond or peanut butter and a bit of jelly.

This fun twist on the classic sandwich is both nutritious and engaging, making lunchtime something her kids look forward to. Other ideas? Sushi roll-ups where a hollowed-out cucumber serves as a base for rolled-up deli meat, cheeses, and carrots. 

For a plant-based take, we love a variety of meatless deli slices and dairy-free cheddar.  

Kinderfarms

4Jessica Biel’s hydration hack

Jessica Biel is known for her roles in the classic series 7th Heaven and The Sinner, and shares two sons, Phineas and Silas, with husband Justin Timberlake of NSYNC fame. Back in 2021, Biel helped to found Kinderfarms, a plant-based health and wellness brand developed specifically for children. 

“As a parent, I want to find products that are effective and also free of unnecessary artificial ingredients,” Biel previously said in a statement. “That’s why I am excited to be a part of the Kinderfarms family, a company that shares the same values when it comes to what we give our kids.”

The concept is a “kinder farmacuetical company” with a product line that features KinderLyte, an electrolyte-loaded beverage to keep kids hydrated throughout the day and beyond. 

The brand also offered plant-based, lunchbox-ready nutrition shakes under a KinderSprout sister brand but it has since been discontinued. However, if you’re looking for a nutritious shake to pop into your kids’ lunchbox, Ripple recently launched “Shake Ups” in vanilla and chocolate flavors, both available on Amazon and through the Ripple Foods website.

Nick Carter/Facebook

5Nick Carter’s classic PB&J

The one famous dad on this list, Nick Carter from the Backstreet Boys, sticks with a timeless favorite when he’s packing school lunch: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. 

While the PB&J may seem simple compared to some of the more elaborate lunches, it’s a classic for a reason. It provides a balance of protein and carbohydrates, and it’s a meal that kids almost universally love. 

“How is it that the smallest and simplest things like preparing a school lunch for your children makes you so happy and content,” Carter shared on social media in 2020. 

Alongside the PB&J sandwich (which he made with Organic Wild Maine Blueberry Jam), Carter cut up apples, and a dark chocolate pudding by Petit Pot, which also offers a plant-based version of the French dessert.