Make it healthy

Published 8:44 am Friday, September 16, 2011

With school back in session, the time-crunch is on for families. Along with added activities and less time to spare comes the challenge of getting children to eat nutritiously.

Although the task is a dreaded one for many parents, LSU AgCenter nutritionists remind parents there are simple ways to make lunches fun and nutritional, even for picky eaters.

“The goal of lunch time, whether your child eats at school or brings their lunch, is to provide nutrition and energy for the afternoon,” said Mandy Armentor, nutritionist and LSU AgCenter associate extension agent for Iberia/Vermilion Parish.

“Many parents dread this task, because either they have run out of ideas or their kids are picky eaters, leaving only the option of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in the lunch box. It can be a challenge to provide a lunch that meets nutrition requirements, but still appealing to your child.”

Repeated studies show that kids who skip lunch, have trouble concentrating, lack energy for after school activities and then ultimately raid the refrigerator when they get home, Armentor said.

Armentor said it is also important to provide lunches that pass the test in food safety to avoid food-borne illness or food poisoning.

Armentor recommends creating a plan for the week, making sure lunches have protein, a source of grain and at least one serving of fruit and vegetables.

“Cut up fruits and vegetables are more likely to be eaten if they are readily assessable,” said Armentor.

Just like many other Teche Area working parents, Seth and Eva Clement have hectic schedules which often leave little time for preparing meals.

The Clements know the importance of a healthy breakfast and lunch if their daughter, Katelyn, a 5-year-old kindergarten student at Dodson Elementary School, is to have the energy to excel at school.

Eva Clement, an LPN employed at Iberia Medical Center, divides her time between a full-time job, college classes to complete certification as a registered nurse and attending to daily household chores, which often allows little time for meal preparation, much less school lunches.

Although school cafeteria lunches are mostly healthy, the busy mom said kids can be picky eaters and there are days when the menu does not appeal to all students. For those mornings, some advance planning is needed to prepare a healthy brown bag lunch or to pack a lunch box.

“The mornings are always hectic for parents trying to get their kids off to school, so I always try to do a little extra planning the night before. If it is going to be a day where Katelyn is bringing her lunch to school, we often prepare it the night before. In the morning, it is just a matter of taking it out of the fridge and packing it,” she said.

“We try to make lunch fun and include a variety of food, especially adding a colorful fruit cut in bite size pieces such as apples, strawberries or oranges. By letting Katelyn make her own lunch or getting involved in the preparation, I found she tends to eat more of the lunch.”

Eva Clement said she often turns to the Internet to get new and creative ideas to pack healthy lunches that are simple, but appealing to her young daughter.

Simple doesn’t necessarily mean unhealthy.

A plain turkey sandwich on wheat bread with apples, grapes or yogurt provides a healthy lunch that will be enjoyed by most children, she said.

“As parents, we both try to set a good example by eating healthy. You can’t expect children to learn to eat healthy if parents don’t set an example.”