Healthy foods can help children do their best in school, but getting kids to eat good-for-you foods can sometimes be a trick.

Consider these tips to jazz up a lunch while also keeping nutritional value in place.

· Include an apple, orange, pear, kiwi, mango, star fruit, banana, a box of raisins or grapes rather than a fruit roll up or fruit chews.

· Send 1 percent milk in place of 2 percent.

· Send vegetables with dip, or mix chopped vegetables with cream cheese and place on a bagel.

· Use whole grain bread when possible. Try pita bread, wraps, tortillas and bagels. Variety can make a difference. Leftover waffles with cream cheese, peanut butter or egg salad are a new change.

· Try macaroni salads, ants on a log (peanut butter on celery topped with raisins), salsa and chips, or meat and cheese.

· Cut leftover chicken into strips and pack with dippers of ranch dressing, barbecue sauce or mustard sauce.

· Pack baked chips, pretzels, air popped popcorn or dry cereal.

· Limit sweets to once or twice a week. Help your children get used to eating fruit.

· Freeze pudding, which also helps keep other foods cool.

· Send packets of 100 percent juice. Be cautious, since some juice is only 10 percent juice with added sugar. For a change and added nutrition, send a yogurt drink.

· Place an ice pack in the lunch box. Keeping foods cold will reduce the chance of food-borne illness and will help keep foods fresh.

· Provide hand wipes and remind children to use them before eating.

· Remember to include one food item with protein (meat, cheese or egg), one carbohydrate item (roll, bread, pita, crackers) and at least one fruit and one vegetable for each lunch.

· To make your job easier, let your children give menu ideas and help with shopping for lunches.

 

By: Carolyn Washburn - Aug. 17, 2006