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FOOD AND NUTRITION CENTER
ABCs of healthy lunches

 

Avoid the boring, brown bag, bologna sandwich blues with creative and healthy lunch and snack menus.

Good nutrition can be as easy as A,B,C if parents remember to include some of these healthy, good-tasting items on their shopping lists.

A Apples, applesauce, animal crackers
B Bananas, bran muffins, wheat bread or white bread
(for sandwiches), mini-bagels
C Crackers, string cheese (with skim milk), low fat cottage cheese, chicken salad, cereal bars, or cantaloupe slices
D Dried fruit
E Egg salad
F Fig newtons, fruit cocktail, fruit roll-ups
G Granola, grapes, grapefruit, ginger snaps
H Honeydew melon slices
I Ice cream (low fat or sherbet)
J 100% fruit juice, Jello® jigglers
K Kiwi, lean beef kabobs
L Leftover stew or lasagna, lean beef burger
M Muffins, Mr. Phipps pretzel chips
N Nuts
O Oranges, oatmeal cookies
P Peaches, plums, pumpkin bread, pretzels, pizza (vegetarian), pasta salad, peanut butter
Q Quiche (vegetable)
R Raisins
S Strawberries, soup
T Turkey or tuna sandwich with tomatoes, Teddy Grahams
U Unsweetened pineapple chunks
V Vanilla wafers, raw vegetables (all varieties)
W Watermelon triangles (seedless)
X eXtra lean lunch meats
Y Yogurt (low fat)
Z Zucchini bread

Try to make lunch exciting. Send Jello cutouts or sandwiches shaped with cookie cutters. This extra touch will really let your child know that he or she is special.

Remember, eating healthy at school and at home will increase your children's stamina and brain power. On special occasions, it's okay to send some of the higher fat chips and cookies, but as a general rule, avoid letting your little ones talk you into high-fat lunches!