Pack Powerful Lunches
School is just around the corner. This year, as you pack your children’s lunches, keep in mind the three principles of good nutrition: balance, variety, moderation. Making a healthy school lunch means packing items from different sections of the food pyramid. That means you may want to include a starch or bread, fruits and vegetables and protein (milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, nuts, egg whites, meat).
Also, when thinking of healthy snacks, it’s good to combine two food groups, like protein and carbohydrate (banana slices with peanut butter). Not only will a combo snack pack more nutrients, but it will also keep your children more full until their next meal—the whole point of snacking. Experts say that eating too much of one kind of food, like crackers or cookies, is one of the most common problems with snacking.
To find a healthy snack you can pack for your children, check out the back page of this issue of Lancaster General Woman. You’ll find a recipe for Sunshine Granola from the Kids Recipe for Healthy Living cookbook, which was produced by The United Auxiliaries to the Lancaster General Hospital. Copies are available at Gifts in General gift shops or by calling 544-4661.
For more information related to this topic: