School Lunches
Make brown-bagging a fun affair

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By ANNA WILSON - Blue Ridge HealthCare

SPECIAL TO THE NEWS HERALD

MORGANTON - With the growing concern of childhood obesity rates, one way to keep a child’s weight in check is by packing his or her lunch for school. Most schools send cafeteria menus home, giving you an opportunity to either buy or pack a lunch for your child.

“Parents should be concerned about what their child eats during the day when they are supervised by others,” said Blue Ridge HealthCare’s newest dietitian Jodi Merlock, RD. “The effects of unhealthy eating are not only weight gain, but also iron deficiency and undernutrition. Eating disorders and tooth decay can also be results from consuming a poor diet.”

Merlock offers these tips for packing a healthy lunch.

“Make sure you have a variety of food,” she said. “No single food or food group has all the nutrients you need.”

Replace high fat foods such as fatty luncheon meats, regular cheeses and mayonnaise with lower fat choices such as lean ham, turkey or beef, reduced fat cheese, and fat-free mayonnaise.

Pack foods with fiber such as fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grain breads or a small handful of nuts.

Prepackaged lunches for kids are popular and convenient, but they’re also expensive and can be less than nutritious, says KidsHealth.org. “Instead, create your own packable lunch using healthier ingredients. Store them in plastic containers, resealable plastic bags or colorful plastic wrap. Some ideas include:

  • cold-cut roll ups (lean, low-fat turkey, ham, or roast beef with low-fat cheese and flour tortillas)
  • cold pizza (shredded mozzarella cheese, pizza sauce and your choice of vegetable on a flour tortilla, English muffin, or mini pizza shell)
  • cracker sandwiches (whole-grain crackers filled with cream cheese or peanut butter and jelly)
  • peanut butter and celery sticks (may top with raisins)
  • veggie sticks with low-fat dip or dressing
  • 100% fruit juice box
  • optional dessert (choose one): flavored gelatin, low-fat pudding, graham crackers, fresh fruit

Include Your Children

Don’t forget to involve the kids in the process so that healthier lunches can become a goal they strive for, too. If they get a little bored, use different kinds and flavors of bread, such as pita pockets, tortilla wraps or English muffins. Try cutting sandwiches, fruits and vegetables into different shapes to vary the look and texture.

Make kabobs with fruits and vegetables on a straw and send along low-fat yogurt or salad dressing as a dip. Pack dry cereal or granola to mix into yogurt, and give them pretzels or rice cakes instead of potato chips.

Try the following tips from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service to help your child eat more nutritiously:

  • Ask your children what they want to eat for lunch. Children tend to eat healthier if they have a say in preparing a meal.
  • Create your own weekly school lunch menu. Being organized helps avoid morning panics caused by not knowing what to pack and ensures you have all the ingredients on hand.
  • Make a game out of choosing a lunch menu. Create index cards with names of different food groups on one side and pictures of the food groups on the other. Your children can decorate the cards and then choose a card from each group when it’s time to plan a lunch.
  • Take your kids to the grocery store and allow them to choose a fun snack to go along with a sandwich or fruit.
  • Take your children to a farmers market and check out the less well-known fruits and vegetables. Also encourage them to plan and care for a garden.
  • Pack a surprise in each lunch, such as stickers, or write an encouraging note. This will add an element of fun to a traditional lunch.

Also, keep your child away from the vending machines unless it is stocked with healthier choices such as water, 100 percent fruit juice and fruit. Each 12-ounce soft drink contains about 10 teaspoons of sugar and 150 calories, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. “Drinking just one can of soda a day increases a child’s risk of obesity by 60 percent,” the AAP reports on its web site, aap.org. “Restrict your child’s soft drink consumption.”

“Remember also to pack food safely,” said Merlock. “Keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot.” Discard any leftovers and thoroughly wash containers, bags and lunch boxes.

Merlock reports, “Don’t forget, there are no bad foods, just bad quantities.”

The second largest employer in Burke County, Blue Ridge HealthCare serves a four-county area and includes Grace and Valdese hospitals, Blue Ridge Home HealthCare, Grace Heights and College Pines Health & Rehabilitation Centers, Grace Ridge Retirement Community, Phifer Wellness Center and a number of physician practices.