When I look at the lunch menu for my son's school, I feel safe in assuming that any kid who brings a lunch from home is getting better nutrition. After all, it's not hard to beat chicken nuggets and greasy pizza. But home-packed lunches aren't always the better deal.

Due to rising food costs, regulations for Texas day-care centers recently changed and now allow the centers to require parents to send meals and snacks for the children. A subsequent (albeit small) study found that 71 percent of the home-packed meals didn't have enough fruits or vegetables and the number of milk servings was also low.

When you're busy getting the kids ready for school and trying to get ready for work, sometimes convenience takes priority when packing your kids lunches. But nutrition can be convenient, too. You can't get much easier than a ready-to-eat piece of fruit. And you can pre-cut carrots, celery, cucumbers and other veggies at the beginning or the week so they're ready and waiting. Check out the gallery for other quick, easy and healthful foods for your child's lunch bag.

Source

You may not realize it, but your desk could be making you fat.

Source

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has been trying to make a difference in the nutritional quality of the UK's school lunches for years. Now, Oliver is focusing on another area that needs improvement -- the typical British home. He worries that the tough economic times are further degrading the quality of food served at home.

When Oliver was first zeroing in on school lunches and teaching cafeteria workers to prepare fresher, more nutritious meals, he didn't just encounter resistance from kids. In one South Yorkshire town, cameras caught parents of school children shoving burgers and fries at their kids through the school's fence. So now Oliver is working in that town and trying to teach families how to eat healthfully on a tight budget.

Oliver makes a good point: Historically, when money was tight, people had to become more resourceful -- growing their own produce, using cheaper cuts of meat, and so forth. Now, however, people have the option of buying $0.79 boxes of macaroni and cheese or value meals at fast food joints. Have you seen that recent commercial for KFC? The one that challenges people to buy the ingredients for a bucket of chicken for less than they'll sell it to you? That's just the point the Oliver is making -- when convenience and cost pair together, some people will let nutrition slide.

If you're trying to lower your grocery costs, try these tips for eating healthfully on a budget.

Source

There's lots of uproar these days about the state of lunches offered at school. Parents, teachers and even celebs are upset that there aren't healthier options available to kids, and it's mostly blamed on a lack of funds. But according to a report from Newsday.com on kids in Long Island, there's more to it than that: most kids simply don't like eating healthy food.

And while younger kids are held captive to what their parents give them or what the cafeteria serves, older kids are ditching the healthy school meals and heading to nearby fast food restaurants to pick up the junk foods they're craving.

Source

If you're watching what you eat, there's no better tip than preparing your own meals. Many people have the habit of going out to eat on their lunch hour. It's nice to get out of the office and stopping at a restaurant seems more convenient. Brown bagging it is far less expensive and it allows you the ability to control the foods and preparation.

But don't limit yourself to basic sandwiches and salads. There are many delicious, healthful options perfect for your noontime meal. Divine Caroline shares ten great lunch suggestions including stir-fries, creative salads, pasta, and yummy sandwiches.

Still want to get out of the office? Consider bringing your lunch to a nearby park. You can enjoy your home-cooked, healthful meal and then take a walk around the park before heading back to work.

Source

Recent research shows that when elementary schools ban soft drinks, the improvement in kids' health is minimal.

Schools who have removed soda vending machines have done so in an effort to improve student health. But research shows that fifth graders who attend schools where soda is banned consume only 4% less than students who have access to soda at school.

As far as I'm concerned, 4% is 4% is 4%. It may be a small improvement, but it's an improvement none-the-less. And since soda bans are relatively recent -- starting in 2003 in California -- I think time will still tell. It takes time to change kids' tastes and preferences. Parents just have to get on board, too, and save soda for the rare treat or avoid it altogether.

Source

When my son and I go shopping, we always buy 100% fruit drinks for his school lunches. No matter how many times I insist on the 100% varieties, my son is always drawn to the sugary options. I know why, too. It seems as if the 100% juice products are packaged to attract parents -- with images of fruit and so forth. The sugar-added varieties are packaged to attract kids -- my son is drawn to the pouches that have surfers and skateboarders on their packages. But I insist on 100% juice. After all, fruit juice is sweet enough as it is... why would anyone need added sugar?

Healthcastle recommends the five top drinks to pack in your child's lunch box:

• Milk. If the school provides milk, you may want to send your child with the money to purchase milk there. (If you're opposed to chocolate milk, be sure to educate your child on that.) If you pack milk cartons, use an insulated lunch box and a freezer pack to keep the milk properly chilled.
• Yogurt drinks. Try freezing yogurt drinks before packing in your child's lunch box. By lunch time they'll still be chilly, but thawed enough to drink.
• Water. Always the best option for hydration, fill a reusable water bottle with water and ice each morning.
  
• 100% juice. There's no reason for the added sugar, so if you're going to pack juice make sure to purchase one that's labeled 100%. Keep in mind that 100% juice is still high in sugar, so don't let your child sip on these all day. One at lunch is enough.
  
• Soy drinks. Be sure to pick a soy drink that is calcium-fortified, lightly flavored, and lower in sugar.

Source

My son attended summer day camp this year, so I haven't had a break from lunch packing. As kids are apt to do, my son and his friends liked to trade items. I was always amazed at the packaging waste that would come home with my son -- a lot of parents opt for those individually wrapped items. They're convenient, sure. But they're expensive, and they have an impact on the environment.

When packing your child's lunch, keep their health and the health of the environment in mind:

• Use reusable packaging. For example, instead of individually packaged pudding, make your own in small reusable containers. It's significantly less expensive and there's very little container waste. Also, look for options like the Wrap-n-Mat that reduce throw-away packaging.
  
• Go meat-free. Meat production is hard on the environment, so pack veggie lunches as often as possible.
• Don't over pack. If your child throws away much of what you pack, your green efforts are somewhat mitigated. Pack what they need and no more.

Source

Is your child heading back to school soon? If so, be sure to get an A on the healthy lunches you provide.

Good nutrition can improve kids' concentration and help them get through the school day successfully. If your child is lucky enough to attend a school with healthy hot lunch options, then your job is a bit easier. But if your child's school is like my son's, pizza and chicken nuggets just don't make the grade.

Foods that are high in fat and/or high in sugar will only lead to an energy crash later in the day. You don't want your kiddo zonking out in the middle of math class, so be sure to provide long-lasting energy with good nutrition. First, make sure your child eats a healthy breakfast. Oatmeal, fruit, eggs, and whole-grain (low-sugar) cereals all make good options. For lunch, pack lean protein such as tuna or turkey, whole grains such as whole-wheat crackers or pita, fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy, and 100% juice.

Source

I remember back when I was in high school (what my son would call the "olden days"). When my friends and I finally scored drivers licenses and cheap used cars, we smelled freedom. Almost every day we'd escape the school's cafeteria and go out to lunch. We wouldn't go home or bring healthy, packed lunches to an off-campus spot to eat. Instead, we'd hit one of the fast-food joints downtown. It was a terrible habit to get into -- unhealthy and expensive.

Not too many years from now, my son will have the same freedom. We live practically next door to the local junior high and high school. I hope, when he has the freedom to leave school grounds at lunch, he opts to come home more often than not. I'd rather have him leave fast-food as an occasional treat, and choose healthful foods more regularly. (Though, if he brings home several teenage friends for lunch, my grocery bills will skyrocket!)

I just read an article which proves that students going out to lunch is a health decision parents and schools worry about around the globe. Short of preventing high school students from leaving the school campus, all we can do is teach our kids the importance of good nutrition from a young age. Then, hopefully, when they're old enough to do so, they make good choices.

Source

Last year, my son had a classmate with a peanut allergy. In consideration for this child, parents were asked not to send in treats for the class that contained peanuts. But there was no school-wide ban on peanuts or peanut butter. Kids were still welcome to bring the old PB&J standby in their lunch boxes. Many schools, however, are choosing to make school-wide peanut bans to protect kids with allergies.

I'm not allergic to peanuts, but I am allergic to tree nuts. As an adult, it's difficult to know exactly what foods contain nuts that I may be allergic to. So, as a safety measure, I just don't eat anything that I'm not sure of. I can imagine that this type of self-monitoring is even harder for school-age children. And seeing how kids trade things in their lunch boxes so frequently, I can see where a peanut ban could be wise. (Imagine a kid bringing in a chocolate chip cookie that has some peanut butter in the batter. If that was given to a kid who has allergies, the child may not guess that there are peanuts in there, and then have an allergic reaction.)

So I wouldn't mind if there were a ban on peanut-based products altogether at my son's school. But some parents disagree and feel that the needs of a few shouldn't dictate what the majority does.

Source

In something that sounds like a kickback to the 1960s, kids in schools are acting like pseudo-drug dealers by selling junk foods to other kids from lockers and places like behind playground bushes.

Is junk food contraband? From a nutritional point of view, the banning of such foods from more schools is likely to make things like candy bars and gummy bears loaded with sugar missing from any school activity.

In proper historical fashion, the more an item is banned, the more some kids will be drawn to the rebellion, so to speak. My view? So much junk food is addictive that it's almost like depriving a drug addict of his or her fix by taking this kind of 'food' away from kids who have a physical and emotional attachment to these products.

Source

There was a time in recent memory when school lunches received an awful bad rap from many health-conscious parents as well as food officials concerned with the rising obesity epidemic among American kids these days.

But, is school food really that bad? Some of my recent experiences seem to suggest not, as the word "fried" made a very rare appearance while being replaced regularly by the word "baked" when it came to potatoes and breakfast items.

Are schools getting on the healthy food train? Most of them already are in some form, but more could be done. Nutrition is the fuel of the mind, which is the primary thing kids use while at school. Why skimp on the fuel? Let's hope your child's school serves the equivalent of 93-octane gasoline in terms of healthy food.

Source

With school back in full swing in many parts of the country, the daily ritual of packing lunches is becoming a way of life for many parents. But, what are the best food items to pack in the lunchbox or sack?

What is not good are products filled with tons of refined sugar and loads of chemicals that may be affecting your child's mood and concentration in school. Are all-natural and organic snacks the answer? Increasingly, yes they are -- but the price premium is a bit hefty for families with more than just on child.

Still, the healthy welfare of your child is a high priority, right? Poor focus consistency caused by sugar rushes in those lunch and snack items can be a direct cause of poor academic performance, right? You make the call.

Source

As part of your New Year's resolution, you've committed to eating healthier in 2007. Does that resolution carry over to your school-age kids? It should -- eating healthy is just as, if not more, important for them. So why are you still filling their lunch bags with sugary, refined and processed foods, when you could be setting the stage for a lifetime of healthy eating?

When they start back at school after Christmas break, this article suggests that you send them off with lunches packed with nutrient-rich snacks. Some suggestions include fruits and veggies, with dressings and dips for the picky eaters, nuts, yogurt, whole grain snacks, naturally-sweetened goodies like applesauce, string cheese and much more.

What healthy snacks have your kids been eating?

Source