This school year, my family transitioned from a homeschooling family to a public school family. As much as this was a welcomed shift for us, I worried most for my 2nd grader and how he would fit in academically. Did I teach him how to write and read well enough that he will not feel self conscious around his Teacher and other classmates? Will he remember his math facts? How does his spelling compare to his new friends in school? I think all of these concerns are normal worries that any homeschooling mama who has decided to send her children to school feels.

What I didn’t realize was that food would become my biggest angst. I was now sending my seemingly healthy eater into a whole new environment where I couldn’t monitor what he was eating and had to trust that our years of “Healthy Eating Education” or HEE, as I like to call it, paid off. For my child who has struggled with health issues as an infant and toddler that weren’t healed until we started eliminating certain unhealthy foods from his diet, this was a huge issue for me. My new struggles went from is he smart enough, to is he still going to want to eat as healthy as he does?

After a few glitches in the first week, a couple of belly aches, and lots of communication with Logan and his school, I can now say with full confidence, Logan is eating his normal healthy diet both in and out of school and I am really proud of his own food choices and the compassion that the school has shown us while we tread these new waters.

So, how do I personally ensure that my child is eating for optimal health while attending school?

We continue our “HEE” often to discuss what healthy foods do for our bodies and how they help our brains grow so it is easier for us to learn new things. We discuss what foods make our bodies strong, and what eating unhealthy foods can do to our bodies. We acknowledge how certain healthy foods make us feel great, while other, less healthy foods make us not feel so well.

Because our school allows special occasion treats to be brought in, I supplied the school with homemade healthier snack options for Logan that can be kept in the school freezer and pulled out as needed.

Logan brings his lunch to school every day. I pack a sandwich on mult-grain whole wheat bread, carrot sticks, a piece of fruit and trail mix with dark chocolate as his snack.

This is what works for my family. But I’m curious, what are you doing to ensure your children are getting the nutrition they need while in school?