School Lunches

Remembering the ABCs will help parents pack healthy lunches for their school-age children.

"A good guideline for packing nutrition into your child's school lunch is to have a source of vitamin A, a source of the B vitamins and a good source of both vitamin C and calcium," said Dr. Debby Demory-Luce, nutritionist at the USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston,"because many foods rich in these nutrients are also good sources of vitamin D, iron, protein and carbohydrates." Here are the ABCs of packing healthy lunches:

A. For vitamin A, provide one half-cup serving of a deep yellow or deep orange fruit or vegetable. Baby carrots (packed with a favorite yogurt dip), cubed cantaloupe or dried apricots are good choices.

B. B vitamins are found in whole grains, meat, nuts and seeds. Meat, cheese or peanut butter sandwiches on whole-grain or enriched breads, low-fat cheese with whole-wheat crackers, pasta salad with cheese and kidney beans, and even lunch-box treats of graham crackers, oatmeal cookies studded with raisins and sunflower seeds provide B vitamins, protein, carbohydrates and iron. For kids' lunches, pack at least two servings of grains or bread and some protein every day.

C. Vitamin C and calcium are both found in calcium-fortified orange juice. Pack one half-cup of fresh strawberries, cubed pineapple, citrus fruits or citrus juice for vitamin C, and one cup of low-fat milk or yogurt for calcium. Low-fat dairy products also provide protein and vitamin D. This food source of vitamin D is especially important for children in cold climates who may not get enough sunshine in winter.

"Lunch should provide one-third of a child's daily intake of vitamins, mineral and calories," Demory-Luce said. To ensure that children receive a nutritionally balanced diet, she recommends choosing a variety of foods from the USDA Food Guide Pyramid.

"It's important to get children involved in the selection and preparation of their school lunches," Demory-Luce said. "Not only do most children want a say in what they are going to have for lunch, but parents can also use this time to teach them how to make healthy choices. These lessons will, in most cases, stay with them for the rest of their lives."

Some parents may believe that snacking is bad for their children, but nothing could be further from the truth.

In fact, according to CNRC nutritionist Dr. Janice Stuff, about 20 percent of a child's energy and nutrients comes from snacks. Snacks should provide the energy that hungry kids need, as well as the nutrients that they might have missed at meals.

Stuff encourages parents to post a list of snack choices on the refrigerator or cabinet door. Make it easy for children and family members to find snacks by designating a special area in the refrigerator, cabinet or on the counter.

While occasional sweet treats please young taste buds, offering snacks based on the USDA's Food Guide Pyramid provides the biggest nutritional bang for your snack-time buck:

• BREAD AND GRAIN: Whole-grain bread sticks or crackers with cheese, fortified ready-to-eat cereal with milk, toasted whole-wheat raisin bagels, pumpkin bread, bran muffins, popcorn, *fig bars, oatmeal-raisin cookies, graham crackers, whole-wheat toast and ginger snaps.
• VEGETABLE: Baby carrots,* celery with peanut butter,* steamed broccoli or Chinese pea pods with dip, grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches or cheese-and-veggie quesadillas.
• FRUIT: Apple slices with peanut butter, pear slices with cheese, strawberries with yogurt, orange segments, kiwi slices, cubed melon, mini bunches of grapes, raisins or other dried fruit, 100 percent fruit juice alone or mixed with mineral water.
• DAIRY: Go low-fat for kids over 5 years old. Flavored milk, yogurt, ice cream or yogurt shakes, pudding and slices of cheese or mozzarella "string" cheese. Make frozen "juice pops" with calcium-fortified juices.
• EAT AND MEAT SUBSTITUTES: Wedges of hard-cooked eggs, peanut butter on crackers, bean dip on tortillas or hummus with pita triangles.

NOTE: Avoid serving hard, round or difficult-to-chew foods to children under 3 years of age.