|
Take
lunch from home for greatest nutritional control
Oct. 02, 03
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
There
is an art to packing a bag lunch for your
school-aged child.
The payoff is more control over the
nutrient value of the meal. The cost, of
course, is convenience and the relentless
quest for variety.
Break the task down into some component
parts, however, and you’ll see
it’s not as hard as you may think.
Succeed, and you may even start calling a
bag lunch "exciting."
Step One is having on hand the basic
supplies:
* Insulated lunch bag or box. The biggest
mistake is getting something too small.
Find one with ample space to hold a squat
thermos bottle or an ice pack or two in
addition to food.
* Frozen gel packs. Keep 2 or 3 small
ones on hand – about the size of a
4x6 index card.
* Reusable containers. If food is to be
heated in a microwave oven, consider
using glass. Otherwise, lightweight,
inexpensive plastic containers –
some round, some square – are what
you need. Each should be able to hold a
sandwich or a cup or two of food.
* Short thermos bottle. Should fit into
most lunch bags. First choice for
carrying soup, chili, and hot leftovers.
Step Two is keeping in mind some key
concepts:
* Involve your kids. Don’t just ask
them what they want in their school
lunch. Give them choices, and include
them in planning and shopping. Let them
pack their own lunch the night before if
they are old enough to do it.
* Vary it. Everyone who goes to
dietitian-school learns this one: Include
a variety of flavors, colors, textures
and temperatures. Makes for a much more
appealing meal. Think about it. Which
would you rather eat? A PBJ on white
bread, with a bag of chips, a carton of
milk, and a cookie, or a thermos-full of
chili, a handful of whole grain crackers,
a bag of green pepper slices, and orange
wedges?
* Pack in nutrition. The best way to do
that is by including fresh fruits and
vegetables. At the same time, limit foods
high in saturated fat, trans fats,
sodium, added sugar, and artificial
flavoring and color.
Step Three is putting it all together
creatively. Here are some examples to get
you started:
* Whole-wheat pita pocket filled with
hummus and grated carrots, sliced green
pepper half, red delicious apple slices
and two fig newtons.
* Peanut butter and banana sandwich on
whole grain bread, baby carrots, juice
box with 100 percent apple juice, and a
cup of mixed fruit.
* Bean soup with whole-wheat crackers,
tomato and cucumber salad with vinegar
and oil dressing, blueberries and a small
piece of banana bread.
* Pasta salad, whole grain muffin, cup of
low fat, vanilla yogurt, and whole
strawberries.
* Slice of pizza, fresh vegetable sticks
with low fat ranch dressing for dipping,
a plum, and an oatmeal cookie (trans-fat
and saturated fat-free).
Let’s call a moratorium on
commercial cookies and cakes, snack
chips, Lunchables, fatty luncheon meats,
Jello, whole and 2 percent milk, full-fat
cheeses, soft drinks and other sweetened
drinks such as Fruitopia, Capri-Sun,
Sunny Delight, Snapple, and Hi-C.
Also keep in mind:
* Natural foods stores are an excellent
source of trans-free baked goods,
crackers and breads, 100 percent fruit
juice boxes and kid-friendly snacks that
contain less sodium and no artificial
flavors and colors.
* Lunch need not revolve around a
sandwich. Leftovers from dinner, soup,
chili, and salads also work.
* Include at least one serving of fruit
with lunch – seasonal fresh fruit
when possible.
Put some thought into your child’s
bag lunch, and you’ll make lunchtime
another opportunity for learning. Bonus:
The lessons also apply to adults looking
for healthful meals to take to work.
|
