School lunch vs. packed lunch: Which is healthier?

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — West Virginia students are headed back to school, and with a new school year comes new pencil boxes, backpacks and lunch boxes, but is it more nutritious for your child to leave the lunch box at home and eat school lunch?

12 News spoke to Bridgeport-based pediatrician, Dr. Mary-Ann Philipps to help parents better understand what their child should be eating.

“Both are good options depending on what works for your family. The schools offer a well-balanced diet that includes all the appropriate food groups and will offer a variety of foods. Now, depending on whether your kid will eat it or not, that’s a different story. You know, cold lunches are a great option, especially if you have a pickier eater,” Dr. Phillips said.

Dr. Phillips said that if you are packing your child’s lunch, it is important to remember to cover all of the food groups and try not to fill up on one type, such as protein or carbs, but add in some fruit and vegetables.

A well-balanced diet can help students be focused and engaged when it comes to the classroom. One frequent problem with school lunches sometimes brought up is that there simply isn’t enough on the trays to fill growing students. 12 News spoke with Harrison County Schools Director of Nutrition Steve Gibson, who said students are more than welcome to take a school lunch even if they have brought a lunch from home.

“Yes, absolutely. Most of them, typically at the elementary school, only want the milk, but like I said, if they take the fruit and one other item, then it’s free to the parents, and, you know, helps us out by increasing our lunch numbers, which are on the rise. We’re really proud. We served 93–93,000 more meals last year than we did the year before, and just yesterday we served about 200 more meals than we did the first day of school last year,” said Gibson.

You can learn more about nutrition in Harrison County schools here.

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