The start of the school year means a decision has to be made: pack a lunchbox for your child or have them eat in the school cafeteria.

Ronda Sisak, a registered dietitian with the Dean Foods LEAN Families Program at Children's Medical Center Dallas, says many school districts have been working on increasing the nutritional value of the choices they offer, but parents still have the most influence on what their kids are eating throughout the day - and a packed lunch from home may be the better choice nutritionally.

"By packing a lunch with your children, you can be sure your child has the right kinds of foods to balance their lunch with the other meals they eat during the day," Sisak said, adding that parents should also check out school Web sites to see the other types of food being served.

"Even if your child does not bring a lunch," she said, "you can still help them with making the right decision from the choices offered by sitting down with them and going over choices for the week."

Lunchbox lessons
You can use the school lunchbox as an opportunity to steer your child toward good nutrition. Good habits are easier to start in younger children and involving them in menu planning can contribute to better eating habits when they are older.

It is important that parents not be critical or judgmental about their child's food choices. The goal is to encourage honesty about what they eat, especially in the early grades. If they confess having traded their apple for chips, suggest a piece of fruit for their afternoon snack. Remember and teach your child that there are no "bad" or forbidden foods, but that choices have consequences.

"Encourage your child to be involved in the lunch-packing process as well as deciding on the types of foods you buy for their lunch," Sisak said. "If they are old enough, have them pack their own lunch - this will help cut down on the amount of food-trading going on in the cafeteria.

"If you provide a variety of healthy choices for them to pack in their lunch, it will help not only improve the nutritional value of their foods but also help build self confidence when it comes to food choices."

Lunchbox planning

• Ask your child to help plan their own lunches. As they talk to you about their choices, you'll learn about their food preferences.
• Ask your child to help shop for lunchbox groceries. Helping select items at the store means your child is more likely to eat them.
• Teach your child to choose their own balanced, healthy lunch to pack. For each treat, a healthy selection also should be packed.
• Pack your child's lunchbox the night before to avoid the early morning rush.
• Pack safe - holding perishable foods at room temperature for longer than two hours allows bacteria to grow and could make the food unsafe to eat. Use a thermos for hot foods. Use cold packs or freeze some foods and drinks overnight. They'll thaw in the lunch box.

Tips for a healthy and fun lunchbox

• Add more protein. A cheese stick, a small cup of tuna salad, or a cup of peanut butter for dipping apple slices provides more bang for the nutritional buck than carbohydrates.
• Choose different sandwich fillings. Top peanut butter with fruit such as raisins, apples or bananas instead of jelly.
• Roll up a tortilla with refried beans, salsa, grated cheese and chopped lettuce for a lunch box burrito.
• Pack fruit that is easy to eat - grapes, strawberries, chunks of melon, apple wedges, berries and orange sections. Include a dipping sauce made of yogurt or peanut butter.
• Baby carrots, celery, snow peas, cherry tomatoes and sweet bell peppers slices are perfect for dunking. Pack with a container of low fat ranch dressing, yogurt, hummus or salsa.
• Pack moist towelettes to remind kids to wash their hands before eating and to clean themselves up afterward.

What are they drinking?
Remember that even 100% fruit juice is loaded with sugar. Better bets include plain or flavored lowfat milk, or plain or sugar-free flavored bottled water.

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Last reviewed: August 2007