Promotions for back-to-school fashions are in full swing, and students will be strutting their stuff in the cafeteria, too. Whether lunch-bound containers are festooned with Pokemon, “The Secret Life of Pets” or are dressed in basic black, it’s what’s inside that matters most.
Food safety patrol
Thrown in a locker, stuffed in a backpack or stashed under a desk, lunch foods can linger too long at room temperatures; the bacteria-friendly “danger zone” is between 40 and 140 degrees F.
Researchers at the University of Texas in Austin found that 95 percent of packed lunches were kept at an unsafe temperature. Forget paper bags and metal lunch boxes sporting Barbie and Bieber. The latest and safest “lunch kits,” as they’re called now, are insulated with a space to add ice packs, and also feature an easy-to-clean plastic lining with an antimicrobial treatment to help prevent bacteria buildup.
Registered dietitian Jo-Ann Heslin suggests: “If you pack lunch in the morning, chill the lunchbox in the refrigerator overnight. If you pack lunch at night, put the food in the lunchbox and refrigerate both overnight. This helps keep all foods cooler longer.”
Also, train kids to wash their hands or use sanitizer wipes before eating lunch. Research shows that simple hand-washing can cut illness in school-aged kids by 25 percent.
A in nutrition
Half of a nutritious lunch should be fruits and vegetables, with the other two quarters occupied by a lean protein and a whole-grain starch.
“It’s kind of like making your own Lunchables,” said Sandy Nissenberg, a registered dietitian and author of “Brown Bag Success: Making Healthy Lunches Your Kids Won’t Trade.” “Fill the compartments of a plastic container with fun lunch options, like cherry tomatoes, cheese cubes on a kabob or turkey tortilla roll ups. Get milk at school, and you’re good to go.”
Nissenberg likes the small-bites approach, because it fits short lunch periods. “By the time a child finds a seat, talks to his friends, and finally pulls out his lunch, there may be only 15 minutes to eat.”
Pre-sliced fruit is more likely to be eaten than whole fruit — especially true for kids with loose teeth or braces.
Extra credit: The vegetable oil in salad dressing dips for veggies helps kids absorb more vitamin A.
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