A healthy lunch your kids will eat
By BETH BENCE REINKE
for Smart
Back-to-school brings bright new lunchboxes, brown paper sacks and an age-old dilemma. Do you pack a healthy lunch or a lunch your child will actually eat?
Karen Graham sees hundreds of packed lunches in her role as food service director for South Eastern School District. As a registered dietitian, she is trained to evaluate the nutritional value of meals. Graham says the biggest problem she sees in lunches brought from home is "a lot of empty calories" -- foods high in sugar and fat but low in nutrients like protein, vitamins, minerals and fiber.
"I see a lot of jelly sandwiches and have even seen a ketchup sandwich," she says. Many kids also bring sugary drinks like fruit punch that are a nutritional zero.
Graham offers tips for packing yummy lunches that are both healthy and kid-friendly.
1. Use the "4 to 1" rule -- four nutritional items and one fun food.
A "4-to-1" lunch might consist of a sandwich or other main dish, a fruit, a vegetable, a drink and a small treat. Keep your child's age and appetite in mind when planning serving sizes. A kindergartner might eat only a quarter or half of a sandwich, but a teenager would eat a whole sandwich or more.
"Kids don't eat their lunches like adults," Graham says. "We would eat the sandwich first, whereas they eat the junk first."
So keep the treat small so they still have room in their tummies for the nutrient-dense foods.
2. Ask your children what they want in their lunches.
Graham says parents often pack what they think the kids want or what they as the parent want. Talk to your children, make a list of what they like and post it on the refrigerator for easy reference. Make reasonable compromises. If your child absolutely hates veggies, pack two fruits instead. Graham says letting kids have choices may discourage them from tossing unwanted foods.
"I think kids throw away more now than they used to because they are discouraged against trading what is in their lunch," she says.
Many schools prohibit trading to protect students with food allergies from accidentally eating something that could cause an allergic reaction.
3. Keep it cold.
Food safety is important, especially with high protein foods.
"If you are sending any meat or cheese, you should make sure to put an ice pack in," Graham says. She suggests filling a water bottle half way, freezing it overnight, then fill the rest of the way in the morning. It serves as an ice pack and is just right for drinking by lunchtime.
4. Think outside the lunchbox.
Graham says you don't always have to pack a sandwich. She suggests packing fun foods that kids can assemble themselves, such as whole grain crackers, low-fat cheese, and sliced meats for creating cracker sandwiches. Mini-bagels, shredded mozzarella and a little container of tomato sauce is another idea, she says.
"Kids eat goofy stuff sometimes, so if your child is willing to eat cold make-it-yourself mini-pizzas that you packed, it's better than the pre-packaged stuff." Pre-packaged lunches like Lunchables can be high in sugar, fat and salt.
5. Pack low-fat milk or milk money most days.
Having low-fat milk with meals, including lunch, helps children and teens get enough calcium for their growing bones and teeth. Graham says kids love the flavored milks like chocolate, vanilla and strawberry that they can buy at lunchtime. "All of the milk we serve in the (South Eastern) district is 1 percent or skim," she says. Check with your school district to see what low-fat choices are available.
Graham reminds parents to read labels on all juice products and buy only 100 percent juice. Packing 100 percent juice instead of milk at lunch is OK sometimes, but include a yogurt cup or low-fat cheese to provide calcium. Packing a water bottle for hydration is a good idea, especially during warmer months.
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