Healthy lunch ideas your kids will love

An epidemic

The percentage of overweight children today is cited as being both an epidemic and a threat to the health of children by the Surgeon General and organizations like The American Dietetic Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The reasons are varied -- our culture has changed as more women work outside of the home and convenience foods really are helpful to working parents. Kids are exercising less, watching television more and our their lives are more "electronic" than physical.

Many kids are hooked on junk food. They would rather have potato chips, French fries or deep fried pieces of chicken than salad, apples or tuna. School lunches are sometimes no healthier, even though they are regulated by strict standards. They have processed and convenient foods -- with chemicals and additives -- just like fast food restaurants.

To make matters worse, major soft drink corporations are competing for accounts around the country with schools. The schools comply because they receive compensation, funds for athletic programs for example. Soft drink machines as well as commissary type outlets are found in schools across America. In some schools, you can get the "real thing"-- a personal pizza or a bean burrito from a well-known fast food restaurant. Is this hurting our kids?

The ADA acknowledges that kids do not eat enough vegetables and recent studies show that eating vegetables helps prevent diseases like cancer and heart disease. Another study suggests that families that eat at least one meal together are more likely to have healthier diets. Should parents be concerned about their children's school lunches? Indeed they should.

Voice your concerns
The responsibility begins with parents to inquire and to voice their concerns. It may take time, but the results will be worth it. Stopping the epidemic begins with education -- education for school food service departments as well as education for the kids. What can parents do to educate kids and ensure their children eat more nutritiously? Plenty. You can slow down, turn the television off, encourage outdoor playing and provide healthy snacks.

Try writing letters to your school board and principal and PTA president. Encourage more fresh produce in schools and baked chicken and potatoes rather than fried. Educating your children about the benefits of vegetables and adding them to every meal, no matter how much they are rejected at first will slowly begin to change their ideas of what's "good." Finally, you can send some nutritious lunches to school with your kids that are both healthy and delicious. Changes will happen to the degree that parents get involved.

Involve kids in packing lunches
Packing lunches can be a fun experience, especially if the kids are involved. Let them pick out the vegetables they want to eat at the market. The produce section is a great place for kids to explore. Below are some recipes and ideas to make lunch more nutritious and more fun.

Pack containers of:

• Broccoli florets
• Strips of red pepper
• Slices of cucumber
• Pickles
• Baby carrots with lowfat or fat-free Ranch dressing

Tostadas
Baked tortillas spread with lowfat refried beans and topped with chunks of tomato, onions, shredded lettuce and green pepper

Tuna salad stuffed in tomato halves

Bean burritos with fresh salsa and Spanish rice

A thermos of spaghetti or penne with chunks of broccoli and zucchini

A thermos of rice and cashew chicken loaded with celery and carrots.

Send carrot juice. You can pack four servings of vegetables into one cup of fresh vegetable juice. Mix the carrot juice with apple juice.

Offer popcorn, apples, green beans and celery sticks.

Cashew chicken
Ingredients:
1 tb. of sesame oil
1 tb. of cornstarch
2 tb. cold water
2 tb. soy sauce
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup cashews
2 stalks of celery diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1/2 onion, peeled and diced
1 cup of cooked, diced chicken
Salt and pepper
2 cups cooked rice

Directions:
In a wok or tall skillet, heat the oil and briefly saut� the vegetables. Add the soy sauce and the stock. Let simmer. Mix the cornstarch with the cold water and add to the simmering mixture. Allow to thicken. Add the chicken and the cashews. Serve piping hot over rice.

Penne with tomato sauce and vegetables
Ingredients:
2 cups of cooked penne or any kind of pasta
4 (32 oz.)cups of your favorite pasta sauce
1 tomato, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 yellow squash, diced
1 cup of cut broccoli florets

Directions:
Mix the cooked pasta, the sauce and the raw vegetables in a saucepan until warm. Pack in a thermos or serve hot.