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Your Children Won’t If You’re Not Making Healthy Food Choices for Their School Lunches By Christina Jorgensen  I remember it like it was yesterday: Sitting in the outdoor lunch area at my elementary school and looking around as other children opened their lunch bags. Mine usually contained a peanut butter and jelly or turkey on wheat sandwich, an apple or other type of fruit and just enough money to buy milk. The kids with the chips, cookies and other junk food then quickly began negotiations, trading their food with one another. No one ever asked for my soggy PB&J.
Now that I’m a mom, I appreciate that my parents were so health-conscious with me while I was young. I always had enough fuel to play soccer and handball during recess, ride my bike after school and play tag with the neighborhood kids in the evening. Plus, it helped me to develop healthy eating habits once I got old enough to make my own food choices. Yet packing a healthy lunch, or teaching your child to make good choices in the cafeteria line, takes some thought and preparation. It’s much easier to just throw money at your child as he or she gets out of your car in the a.m. or stuff a pre-packaged store-bought meal into a sack. To help you with this challenge, here are some healthy suggestions that will give your child energy to play and fuel to grow, and even keep him or her from getting sick: - Go for fruits and veggies: They are packed with nutrition and kids should eat at least five servings of both per day. For instance, one medium orange equals one serving. Try to give your child at least one serving at lunch.
- Grab the grains: Whole grains are always the better choice over refined grains and can be found in foods like breads, cereals, rice and pasta. But how do you know? It’s simple: Choose brown over white.
- Know your fats: Kids need some fat in their diet to stay healthy, but don’t go overboard. You’ll find healthy amounts of fat in butter, oils, cheese, nuts and meats (especially grilled or baked).
- Think about the drink: Drinks count toward what your children eat too, so choose them wisely. Milk and water are great choices—or even water with a splash of fruit juice.
- Aim for balance: Your child will be full after eating two sandwiches, but it’s better to give him or her one sandwich, plus a fruit and some veggies. Aim for variety so your child gets all the benefits of a balanced diet.
- Don’t be a bore: You don’t want to eat the same thing every day, and neither does your child. Mix up his or her lunches so your child gets a variety of nutrients and doesn’t get bored. Also, occasionally slip a few cookies into your child’s lunch as a special treat. If you never let your child indulge, he or she will likely revolt.
What’s in Your Lunch Bag? A recent survey of 2,000 American households by the New York-based NPD Group finds that: - 75 percent of all bagged lunches for school include a sandwich. Peanut butter and jelly is the most popular.
- 70 percent include a salty snack, such as chips or pretzels.
- 59 percent include fruit. Apples are the most common.
- 59 percent include a fruit drink.
You Can’t Go Wrong With…
- Low-fat meats and cheeses—cut them into shapes, put them on pita bread or in a whole-wheat tortilla, etc. to make eating more fun
- Tuna salad with pickles
- Regular peanut butter (contains good fat!) or soy butter—spread on rice cakes or provide apples for dipping
- Bite-sized raw vegetables like baby carrots or sliced bell peppers with a low-fat dip
- Peaches, pears, strawberries, grapes or raisins—let your child help choose
- Individual serving-size packages of yogurt, unsweetened applesauce or cottage cheese
- Baked chips, crackers or pretzels (avoid trans fats that cause bad cholesterol)
- Trail mix with cereals, nuts, pretzels, dried fruit and a few chocolate morsels
- Milk or water
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