Parents Packing Healthy Back-to-school Lunches

With vending machines full of junk food and school cafeteria lunch that's either fattening fast food or something that looks more like a science project than food, it's difficult to eat a healthy meal for lunch. Nothing on that menu tastes like Mom's home cooking. However, Mom and Dad can play a part in making sure the child goes off to lunch with a well-balanced meal.

Fruit: Always add some type of washed fruit in a sandwich bag so it's sanitary to eat. Chances are unless you have a child who is a germophobic, he or she would be less likely to visit a water fountain or go to the bathroom to wash the fruit off before chomping on it. And who knows what's rolling around in that backpack? Wash the fruit beforehand or give the child a fruit cup or canned fruit in a Tupperware dish instead.

Sandwich: Bread is fattening so pay attention to what time your child goes to lunch. If the child is given a whopping hoagie right before going to gym, chances are the physical ed instructor will complain about the child not wanting to participate in activities from a full stomach. At the end of the day, submarine sandwiches are fine (consider wheat bread though) as long as the child has the opportunity to walk it off.

Chips: Potato chip snacks do not have to be loaded with salt and leave stains all over the child's clothes. Let the child try out a few baked chips or light butter popcorn bags instead.

Sweets: Candy doesn't necessarily have to be in the child's bag, but it'll surely make most candy-loving kids look forward to lunch. A couple of miniature candies won't hurt, and make sure to have the child brush his or her teeth as soon as she gets home to prevent the candy particles from creating a cavity. But if you don't want your child eating candy, fruit is a healthy replacement.

Vegetables: Find out what vegetables your child actually likes instead of giving the child what's "good for him." That vegetable will go in the garbage before the child sits at the lunch counter. But if the child has a vegetable that is actually enjoyable, it seems less like "those vegetables" and more like a meal.

Drink: Be careful with giving your child glass bottles because they may smash in a book bag. In some schools, bottles aren't allowed on the premises. Plastic bottle drinks and aluminum-style Capri Suns are lighter and easier to carry around with a full bag. Consider putting bottled water, iced tea, fruit juice or lemonade in the lunch bag instead of pop to help the child's teeth.

And if the child really wants to buy his or her own lunch at school, inquire about what the child is regularly eating. Children are becoming overweight from overeating, especially due to fast food and inactivity. Healthy lunches help eliminate this issue.