Lunchbox Makeovers

Try These Easy Swaps for Better Nutrition

Many lunchboxes are overloaded with fat, sugar and salt and are missing fruit, vegetables and whole grains.  The good news?  There are simple, easy ways to improve your kids’ nutrition by making some simple lunchbox swaps.

• If your child brings a packed lunch from home and buys milk at school, encourage her to choose 1% or skim milk instead of whole milk.  Or buy skim or 1% milk at the grocery store and pack it.
• Use whole-grain bread instead of white bread for sandwiches.  Choose breads that list “whole wheat” as the first ingredient.  If the main flour listed on the label is “wheat” or “unbleached wheat flour,” the product is not whole grain.
• Include at least one serving of fruit in every lunch.  Try buying a new type of fruit each week to let your child discover new favorites.  Try pears, sliced melon, cups of applesauce, grapes or pineapple (fresh or canned in its own juice).  Try serving fruit cut into slices, cubed or with a yogurt dipping sauce.

–Source:  Center for Science in the Public Interest