Packing a Lunch That Energizes Your Child

By Barbara Day, M.S., R.D., C.N.

Even though Kentucky was recently in the news about how the school lunch has improved overall – children and their parents are still going to complain about the menus offered. If you are one of the many parents who are not impressed with the school lunch program – then pack a lunch for your children. My sons rarely ate school lunch. In fact, I packed their lunches each day. Typically, they told me what they wanted to eat and I was happy to pack their lunch to ensure they were getting an adequate lunch. They generally purchased their milk at school.

Picking the lunch box is usually a treat for kids at the beginning of each school year. Today's brown bag lunch has an emphasis on food safety. In fact, there are gel packs that can be frozen to ensure the food stays cold, and pre-packaged wipes can help remind the kids to clean their hands before eating. Using a combination of frozen juice boxes or frozen fruit such as grapes can also help keep the food cold. Make sure you wash your hands before preparation and wash the fruit and vegetables that goes into the lunchbox or bag. In addition, wash out the lunchboxes or totes every night with hot, soapy water.

The most important factor in packing the brown bag lunch is to make sure what you are packing is what your child will eat – if not you are depriving your child of much needed calories for learning and growth.

Since lunch time generally lasts about 15 to 20 minutes in most schools, the foods you pack must be easy to eat. Keep in mind, how many calories you are packing and how many calories your child needs per day.

What to Pack for Lunch

1. 2 to 3 ounces of meat or cheese (a 3-ounce portion is about the size of a deck of cards). ( varies 120 – 200 calories; 2 T peanut butter – 190 calories )
2. One or two slices of bread, ½ cup of grain or rice or 10 whole wheat crackers such as Triscuit® Crackers. ( one slice of bread is about 110 calories )
3. Pack at least two different fruits or vegetables or one of each. ( varies 60 – 130 calories per fruit; vegetables; varies 25 – 55 calories for vegetables )
4. Milk can be bought at school or you can send a thermos full of milk. ( 8 ounces skim milk – 90 calories; Low fat milk – 120 calories; whole milk – 150 calories ).

Add More Bang to the Lunch Box

• Be creative. Think about different types of bread for sandwiches such as pita bread, small bagels, tortillas, focaccia, raisin or cinnamon bread, or use a variety of crackers. (Whole wheat choices has more nutrients) .
• Same old lunch might be boring but if your child eats it…..One of my son's ate peanut butter sandwiches almost exclusively.
• Don't use the prepackaged lunches in the refrigerated section of the grocery. They are high in calories, low in nutrients and are expensive, too.
• Make your own snack mixes rather than use the prepackaged bags of chips. It's cheaper and you can pack a specified number of calories in each bag i.e. 100 calorie packs. Use pretzels, cereals like Chex cereals, whole grain crackers like Trisket®, 100% whole Wheat Thins®, etc., homemade trail mix rather than typical chips.
• You can make your homemade bagel chips and tortilla chips by slicing or cutting into pieces, lightly spray a cooking spray and sprinkle salt or another spice, and bake at 400 degrees in single layers on cookie sheet until lightly brown and crunchy.
• Salsa, hummus, and bean dips can help boost the lunch box nutrients and can enhance the fresh vegetables and baked bagel chips or tortilla chips.
• If you are using moist vegetables or condiments, bag them separately then add to sandwich at lunch so it doesn't make the bread too moist.
• Prepare the thermos by either filling it with either iced or boiling water before you pack foods to ensure the proper temperature.
• For younger kids, slice the crusts off the bread or use cookie cutters in fun shapes to create fun sandwiches to eat.
• By using an assortment of pasta shapes, you can make pasta salads fun to eat.

Resources: First Meals By Annabel Karmel. 2004. ISBN 0-7566-0365-X.

Safety Tips from www.beef.org and www.fightbac.org .