Pack a Healthy Lunch for You and You Child

By Teresa Opdycke

You know your child best. You know what she likes and what she doesn't. You know if she likes variety or if she prefers the same thing day after day. Adults don't always eat healthy foods for lunch, either. Often it's a quick stop for fast food fare. Pack a healthy lunch for your child, and while you're at it, pack one for you and your spouse, too. So get crackin' and pack healthy lunches that aren't lacking in delicious factor.

Keep in mind the 80/20 rule when packing lunches and you'll keep everyone, including yourself, happy at lunchtime. The 80/20 rule simply means that 80 percent of the time we eat healthy, and the other 20 percent of the time we indulge in foods that delight and tantalize the palette.

You decide how to make the 80/20 rule work for you. You can look at it from a day-to-day view - your child eats healthy 80 percent of the day but 20 percent of the day is less than healthy. Another way to look at it is on a monthly basis. September has 30 days in it, so you'll pack healthy foods 80 percent of the month, or 24 days, allowing for 6 days of anything the child wishes within reason. You could even break it down into only the days the child is in school or at day camp. For every five-day week, allow special treats to be included one day of the week.

Children's nutritional needs vary from adults. Children's caloric intake also varies from child to child. The amount of calories needed in a day depends on the activity level, growth, and size. A good rule of thumb to use with children is a 1-year-old needs 1,000 calories a day. For every year of the child's age, add 100 calories. A 2-year-old, therefore, needs 1,100 calories. This formula works up to age 5. Boys 11-14 who are fairly active need approximately 2,220 calories. Girls at the same activity level require about 1,845 calories a day. This just gives a rough idea of what a child should be eating in a day. If your child is extremely active, more calories will be needed. A child who is more sedentary needs fewer calories.

Start by having older children make a list of their favorite foods or foods that they'd like to find in their lunch bags. Keep the list handy to refer to when making grocery lists and planning the week's meals. Include younger children by sitting down with them and writing the list as you discuss healthy eating. Don't forget to let each child pick out a fun lunch box or bag.

If you pack lunches the night before, have the children help, but make sure you have set out the ingredients needed for each lunch. Kids will be more apt to eat what is packed if the food is user friendly. Peel fruits, segment oranges or grapefruit, and slice, chunk or dice the various fruits and vegetables before packing them.

Wondering what to put in the lunch bag? A protein, vegetable, fruit and drink would cover the basics nicely. Some ideas for proteins:

Use whole grain breads for sandwiches and lean meats for the filling. Lean meats might include turkey, chicken, or tuna.
Stay away from fats like mayonnaise - encourage children to enjoy mustards if they must have a condiment, or use the low fat/no fat versions.
Place a leaf of lettuce on the sandwich for crunch and color.
Try making up light cream cheese flavored with herbs to spread on crackers.
Mix tuna with finely chopped cucumbers and light cheese for a new take on tuna sandwiches.
Do a wrap for a change, using lots of vegetables such as carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, yellow squash, cucumbers shredded and sliced with a low-fat sour cream or yogurt as a spread. Stuff half a whole-grain pita with egg salad.
Try using different breads, but keep with the whole grain theme. English muffins or bagels are a welcome break from the daily whole grain bread. Whole grain crackers with slices of cheese work well, too.
Nuts and beans are part of a healthy protein, so make a bean dip for crackers as another alternative.

Don't forget to allow one day per week for your child to choose something he loves that may not be healthy - whether it's a deli meat sandwich of bologna or olive loaf, just let him go for it.