You probably spend a lot of time and effort to ensure that your children have healthy lunches ready for school each day — but have you ever considered that they may be eating something else instead? A lot of kids share (and trade) lunch items, and this could mean that your children are missing out on the healthy meals you've prepared (and getting extra calories from not-so-healthy foods). You can't monitor your children every day, so how can you be sure they eat a healthy lunch?

The first step is to sit down with your kids and find out whether or not they are sharing or swapping items with their friends. Explain to them how important it is that they eat well both at home and at school. If they understand why you're asking them to make good choices (rather than just telling them what to do), they'll be more likely to respond positively. If it becomes clear that your children are participating in communal lunches, then why not organize a meeting with other parents to encourage them to have their kids bring healthy options to school as well? Many of them are probably in the same boat as you and will be open to coming up with solutions to make sure that their kids are getting the nutrition they need.