Food Facts

Red Rabbit is dedicated to healthy eating—and we know that the best habits start young!

Here are some interesting facts about food that help guide our menu development and service. We hope they’ll help you plan your own healthy eating program.

Avoiding the energy roller coaster

Unbalanced meals that are high in simple carbohydrates like sugar or white flour give children an energy spike. Sugar, in the form of glucose, is absorbed too quickly into the blood stream causing the energy spike. This is often followed by a late-afternoon crash. Balanced meals (high in complex carbohydrates) smooth out the absorption of glucose into the bloodstream, creating a more even release of energy and preventing the crash. Red Rabbit meals provide a balance of carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

The promise of the rainbow

Farm-fresh red tomatoes, orange carrots, yellow bananas, green broccoli, purple plums. Vibrant colors are the marker for valuable vitamins, nutrients and disease-fighting phytochemicals. Red Rabbit helps your child learn to love a whole rainbow of fruits and vegetables selected fresh from local growers. We provide a wide variety—and hide the more difficult ones in foods that taste great.

In with the good fat and out with the bad

Not all fat is bad. Good fats are necessary for healthy development—increasing brain function and lowering the risk of heart disease. Monounsaturated fats, like olive and canola, are best. Poly-unsaturated fats are OK—but not as good. Saturated fats and hydrogenated or trans fats (found in a wide range of manufactured foods like margarine and Crisco) are the bad guys—interfering with the assimilation of nutrients and creating toxic buildup. Red Rabbit uses only monounsaturated fats—never hydrogenated or trans.

Out of the frying pan—for good

Fat is a natural flavor carrier, and provides an appealing mouth-feel for both kids and adults. Frying any food enhances its taste and improves the eating experience. But fat has a high caloric density (more than twice that of proteins and carbohydrates), so frying significantly increases the amount of calories in food. Since added fat from frying provides empty calories that can lead to obesity, Red Rabbit never serves fried food!

Five for life

The World Health Organization now recommends that children eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day—three portions of fruit and two of vegetables. Parents may have difficulty getting kids to eat vegetables. Red Rabbit incorporates colorful vegetables in a way that kids will enjoy—or at least eat and not recognize. We also provide lots of fruit with our lunches—either as a part or as an enjoyable side.

Putting it together—the perfect combination

Correctly combining foods is important to proper digestion, cholesterol and metabolism. Without complete digestion, the body can't extract and assimilate the nutrients in even the most wholesome food. And incomplete digestion and inefficient metabolism can lead to fat and cholesterol accumulation in the body. Red Rabbit has put a lot of thought and research into balancing our lunches to provide the best nutrition for your child. For example, our Fireworks Pasta Roll, combines the vitamin C from the fruit cup to aid in the absorption of the iron found in the spinach.

Striking the perfect balance

Balanced meals contain the correct balance of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Children shouldn't diet, as their bodies need a variety of nutrients to develop. They eat balanced meals that level out energy levels—reducing spikes and crashes. Red Rabbit lunches gives your child the variety of nutrients and minerals needed to develop into a strong, healthy adult, and reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease later in life.

Early habits for a lifetime of health

Children who develop healthy eating habits early grow into adults who continue the pattern. Red Rabbit helps you establish healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime.

Spread It out

Children—and adults—should eat regularly throughout the day. We recommend three nutritious meals and two healthy snacks. This approach evens out energy levels, reduces energy spikes and crashes, and lowers the number of calories converted to fat.

Keep the good foods coming

Kids may initially reject new foods and healthy eating. The key is to encourage the child and continue to reintroduce the food: “Who wants to be a big, brave kid today?” If you make it a game, your child is more likely to give the food a shot. Eating should be an adventure—never a chore. The classroom is a naturally adventurous atmosphere where kids will try things they might not sample at home. Red Rabbit will encourage your child to develop healthy eating habits and expand their food horizons.