Lunchbox 101: Tips and tricks for a healthy lunch

Mcclatchy News Service

As school bells start ringing again, parents should consider doing some homework of their own on nutritious lunches to pack for their children. Since kids often want to eat the same types of food every day for lunch, it's up to parents to take the lead and put new ideas on the table.

Registered dietitian Dena McDowell, M.S., C.D., nutritional expert for TOPS Club Inc. (Take Off Pounds Sensibly), says parents can provide a better range of vitamins and nutrients on a daily basis by following these tips:

-- Let kids make the assignments. McDowell explains that a child may feel empowered and more apt to try new food combinations if he or she is part of the planning process.

-- Together, find recipes for new sandwiches, soups and trail mixes to get ideas. Places to find recipes include: Kids Health, http://kidshealth.org/parent/recipes/index. html; Medicine Net.com at www.medicinenet.com/recipes/article.htm; or Parents.com at www.parents.com/recipes. There are also lots of links on the TOPS site at www.tops.org.

-- Have children identify the items that need to be purchased and, with their help, create a grocery list.

-- At the store, point out different cheeses, low-fat yogurts and low-fat cottage cheese. Have them "hunt" for foods that are rich in whole grains, like whole-wheat flour, bran, or oats. Try selecting a few protein options such as natural peanut butter, cheese, lean deli meats, hummus, refried beans, nuts and seeds.

Lunch 101 lessons

McDowell, who also is a mom, has this advice for getting healthy options into their lunches:

-- Strategy 1: Trying a new recipe or a new food can sometimes make a child lose their appetite. Offer the new item along with some of the foods that he or she will eat. Identify dairy products, fruits and veggies that get a thumbs-up, and make sure to include these in the lunch. Encourage the child to try the new foods before digging into the foods he or she regularly eats.

-- Strategy 2: If a child is helping to pack lunches, teach him or her that balance is important. Aim to include a protein-rich food (lean meat, cheese, eggs, beans, nuts, seeds or yogurt), a dairy-rich food (milk, yogurt or cheese), a fruit, a veggie and some whole grains. Also, remember that the more color is present in the meal, the more vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants it contains. Include at least three naturally-colored foods.

Presentation is everything

-- Try out a fun, colorful new lunchbox for the start of the year.

-- Roll up each lunch item in colorful plastic wrap and twist the ends so it looks like a big piece of candy.

-- Make a theme lunch with a quick slice or two: Use a fish-shaped cookie-cutter to make that tuna fish sandwich a bit more fun (and, they're not going to eat the crusts, anyway, so you might as well). Serve with goldfish crackers.

New ideas for doing the math

Put the following suggestions from McDowell on the brown-bag meal plan and experiment with new combinations:

-- Hummus with pita chips, carrots, orange slices and low-fat milk.

-- Trail mix (nuts, dried fruit, pretzels, whole-grain cereal and chocolate chips), veggies and low-fat dip, banana and low-fat milk.

-- Yogurt with granola and mixed berries, vegetable juice and whole-grain crackers with low-fat cheese.

-- Mini burritos made with rice and black beans or refried beans in a tortilla with tomato salsa. These can be heated or eaten cold.

-- Baked chips or pretzels are a better choice than high-fat potato chips or cheese snacks.

-- Drinks made from water with a splash of cranberry, peach, grape or other fruit juice.

-- Whole grain bagels topped with cream cheese-vegetable spread.

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Wednesday, Sep. 02, 2009

Lunchbox 101: Tips and tricks for a healthy lunch

Mcclatchy News Service