Dietitian shares ideas for packing more protein, fiber in school lunches

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — KSHB 41 News anchor Lindsay Shively offers coverage on a wide variety of topics, including stories of interest to consumers. Reach out to Linsday via email.

—

If you are trying to stretch your grocery budget and need ideas for healthy school lunches, I reached out to Saint Luke's for help.

Registered dietitian Morgan Murphy talked about why protein and fiber matter.

"So protein is really important for kids to get in as they grow, but it also is going to help them stay full after they have breakfast or lunch with snacks so they can focus more on school," Murphy said. "And then the fiber is going to feed a healthy gut microbiome, which we all need, and also [will] keep them full after their meals. So super important to get both."

Murphy shared an example of a healthy school lunch.

"So we're getting the protein in today in a couple of ways. I've got this turkey and cheddar on whole wheat bread, and we're also gonna make a Greek yogurt-based ranch," she said.

The low-fat Greek yogurt Murphy had on hand had 17 grams of protein per 3/4 cup serving.

"Greek yogurt compared to regular has significantly more protein, so it might be a little bit more expensive at the grocery store, but you're getting more protein, too," she said.

Lindsay Shively/KSHB 41

Murphy found a Greek yogurt ranch dip recipe online. I went to the store and bought a large tub of low-fat Greek yogurt, a ranch seasoning packet and a bag of carrots. The total was just over $7 with multiple servings.

"Some great sources of fiber that you can include in school lunches would be whole-grain bread, [and] any type of berry is going to be a great source of fiber," Murphy said. "Beans are so underrated as a source of both fiber and protein, gonna be packed with protein. A quick tip: if you drain and rinse your canned beans, it lowers the sodium as well."

Murphy also suggested making a simple bean dip that could be served with veggies for dipping.

—