Packing a Lunch that Makes the Grade | Veron, Bice, Palermo & Wilson, LLC

November 1999 - Packing a Lunch that Makes the Grade

by Richard H. Middleton, Jr. & Leah S. Guerry

Your children have been boarding the school bus each morning with their lunch boxes in tow, but do you know where those lunches end up? Some children may trade their raisins for cookies. Others may throw unwanted items in the trash. By now, your kids have settled into their school-day schedules, but that doesn't mean your child's lunch has to be routine.

"Start your children young, get them involved in the shopping and preparation for lunches," says Joan Carter, a registered dietitian with the USDA Agricultural Service at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.

Carter says, this kind of active participation will most likely keep your kids from trading their lunches, or going for the garbage can. She also recommends that parents familiarize themselves with the food guide pyramid.

"If you follow it you'll be sure to give your children the nutrients they need each day. It's a great planning tool," says Carter.

For example, lunches should include a source of fruit, a vegetable, grains (preferably whole wheat rather than bread made with white flour), a protein source such as lean meats, water-packed tuna, or peanut butter, and a source of calcium. Carter says the calcium component of the lunch is important. Children ages 4 to 8 should get 800 milligrams of calcium each day from their dietary sources, and 9 to 18-year olds should get 1,300 milligrams of calcium each day. If your child drinks milk, Carter recommends giving them skim, 1 % or 2%. Alternatives for kids who don't like milk include yogurt and pudding.

What if your child refuses to eat any sandwich other than peanut butter and jelly? "Peanut butter and jelly is a good source of protein. It's not a complete source, but we don't worry if they are getting the proper nutrients they need throughout the rest of the day," says Carter.

If you want to provide a little variety for your PB&J-eater, try using different types of bread - maybe a bagel one day, a flour tortilla the next, or a pita pocket. You can add interest to your child's lunch by varying the "sides" you pack along with it. Cherry tomatoes or other vegetables with a yogurt-based dressing for dipping, or cubed fruit are fun and easy to eat, plus they fulfill some of the requirements of the food guide pyramid.

As for the items in the top of the pyramid - fats, oils and sweets - the advice is to use them "sparingly." Carter says she is "not anti-dessert," but if parents choose prepared/packaged cookies from the store, they should be included only small amounts.

"If you always deny your child, when it comes time for them to make their own choices, they may go overboard," says Carter.

According to information provided by the Children's Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine, 30 percent of a child's caloric intake should come from fat. Dr. Janice Stuff, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Baylor, says the fat "helps the body absorb fat-soluble vitamins like A, D and E."

For healthier snacking (other than vegetable sticks and fresh fruit), try dried fruit like raisins or apricots, single-serving boxes of unsweetened or lightly-sweetened cereal, graham or animal crackers, whole-grain crackers or low-salt pretzels. According to Dr. Stuff, about 20 percent of a child's energy and nutrients come from snacks.

Preparing lunches can be a learning experience for your child. Experts recommend, instead of banning certain foods or telling kids some foods are "bad," you can steer them away from bad eating habits.

"Have a positive attitude about food. Emphasize the enjoyment that comes from eating, not the calories, or things that are considered a negative component," says Carter.

You can access a copy of the food guide pyramid at http://www.usda.gov/cnpp.

For additional help in choosing lunch items for your kids, one nutritionist at the Children's Nutrition Research Center suggests remembering your ABCs:

q A: For vitamin A, pack one half-cup serving of a deep yellow or orange fruit or vegetable.

q B: For B vitamins, look to whole grains, meat, nuts and seeds. Your kids can get B vitamins, protein, carbohydrates and iron from peanut butter on whole grain breads, low-fat cheese with whole wheat crackers, and oatmeal cookies with raisins and sunflower seeds.

q C: For vitamin C and calcium serve calcium-fortified orange juice. For vitamin C, try a half-cup of fresh strawberries, cubed pineapple, citrus fruits or citrus juice. For calcium, go for one cup of low-fat milk or yogurt.

For more information, try the American Dietetic Association.

Richard H. Middleton, Jr., president of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, is a partner in the Savannah, GA, law firm of Middleton, Mathis, Adams & Tate, P.C.

Leah S. Guerry is the executive director of the Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association.

Reprinted with permission of Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association, P. O. Box 4289, Baton Rouge; (225) 383-5554 or (800) 354-6267.