10 Foods You Should Never Pack In Your Kid's Lunch (Slideshow)

One word: preservatives. Pumped with additives, sugar, and sodium, premade sandwiches like Crustables are definitely worth avoiding at all costs. Opt for healthy leftovers or homemade sandwiches instead.

Loaded with unnecessary sugar and calories, toaster pastries are another nutritionally empty snack choice. Skip these sweet treats for a healthier option, like a homemade granola bar.

A completely detrimental and unnecessary lunch snack. Opt for organic yogurt or fresh fruit instead.

Packed with sodium, saturated fat, and additives, there's a reason these premade lunches are so cheap and readily available.  You'd be better off packing whole grain crackers, grapes, and cubes of organic cheese.

Sugar, sugar, and more sugar is all you'll get from a thermos full of juice. Skip the juice in favor of water and give your child the opportunity to avoid empty calories and properly hydrate.

Packed with sugar, white bread is an empty food with almost no nutritional value. Opt for whole grain or whole wheat, and add some fiber to your child's diet.

Cookies are not a smart lunchtime snack for your children. Loaded with sugar and preservatives, these snacks should remain in the pantry and not in your children's lunchboxes; they will just slow them down and make them crash by the end of the day. 

Pasta covered in a mix of artificial cheese and butter? Skip this meal at all costs and opt for something with a higher nutritional value, or make a homemade healthy version ahead of time.

Not all lunchmeat is created equal. While deli meats are a go-to item for parents, make sure you're choosing deli meats without nitrates and additives, which can be harmful in the long run.

Just like juice, soda is packed with unnecessary sugar. Skip the soda and choose water to adequately hydrate your child and strip his or her diet of excess sugar.