![\"healthy-school-lunch.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/www.health.com\/thmb\/xszcoiatWQpmNH2gNdwxXwa_LpQ=\/900x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():gifv()\/healthy-school-lunch-cba00d1db1404ea08648214ff5bbd791.jpg\")
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\nFor so many parents, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a happy morning ritual: sending their kids off to school with a quick kiss good-bye and a packed lunch, secure in the knowledge that they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re handing the little ones a healthier alternative to the on-a-tray meals dished out at school cafeterias.\n<\/p>\n \nWell\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6not necessarily.\n<\/p>\n \nA recent study which focused on three Virginia elementary schools found that both packed and school lunches for the most part met nutrition standards, but\u00e2\u20ac\u201dhere\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the surprise\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthe edibles pulled together at home tended to have more calories, fat, and saturated fat. (Check it out: Of the 1,000-plus lunches, the school meals averaged 512 calories and 13 grams of fat per lunch, while the packed lunches had 608 calories and 21 grams of fat.)\n<\/p>\n \n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We assumed there would be differences between school and packed lunch, but not such stark differences,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said the study\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s lead author, Alisha R. Farris of the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech.\n<\/p>\n \nSo how do you boost the nutritional value inside that little brown bag or glossy lunch tote\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwhile making sure you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re offering up food that your finicky eater will finish off?\n<\/p>\n \nActually, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not all that hard. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have to be a chef, or even a good cook,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says\u00c2 Beth Lipton, Food Director for Health<\/em> and All You<\/em>. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It can be as easy as opening up a can of tuna fish, mixing in chopped celery and mayo, and making tuna salad.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\n<\/p>\n \nHere, a few more inspired ideas for healthy lunchtime offerings your little ones won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t refuse.\n<\/p>\n \nPrep-ahead veggies can be a godsend for frazzled moms. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have time to peel carrots?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Lipton, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153just get them pre-cut and pre-washed.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\n<\/p>\n \nTake foods your kids like and serve them up in a different way. For example, instead of the same-old turkey sandwich, use the lunchtime staple to make a chef\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s salad. Or, rather than serving it as a sandwich, ditch the bread and try a lettuce wrap.\n<\/p>\n 13 Delicious Twists on Classic Lunches<\/span><\/p>\n \n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153For kids, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not about the food as much as it is the look of what they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re eating,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Lipton. If your little ones love Lunchables, make your own. Buy plastic containers with little compartments, and put wholesome food like cherry tomatoes and applesauce in the individual slots. "Think smaller portions of bite-sized edibles\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthey\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re more manageable for small hands," says Lipton.\n<\/p>\n \nSlice fruits and veggies, dice ham and cheese, and cut sandwiches into appealing shapes with holiday cookie cutters. Ateco makes them in fun shapes like stars and hearts ($12.50 for a set of six, amazon.com). Also, says Lipton, embrace the rainbow by including a variety of bright colors.\n<\/p>\n \nA\u00c2 2013 study done by the Center for Childhood Obesity Research at Penn State found children were three times more likely to chow down on vegetables\u00c2 served with a reduced-fat dip than they were to eat\u00c2 the same veggies alone. Lipton’s suggestion: Pair celery sticks with a\u00c2 quick dip made from\u00c2 plain yogurt and\u00c2 taco seasoning.\n<\/p>\n 7 Healthy Dip Recipes<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Photo: Getty Images For so many parents, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a happy morning ritual: sending their kids off to school with a quick kiss good-bye and a packed lunch, secure in the knowledge that they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re handing the little ones a healthier alternative to the on-a-tray meals dished out at school cafeterias. Well\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6not necessarily. A recent study which […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16995,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[509,28,435],"tags":[510,29,437],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16995"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16995"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16995\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16995"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16995"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16995"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16995"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Keep it simple <\/span> <\/h3>\n
Give it a twist <\/span> <\/h3>\n
Divide and conquer <\/span> <\/h3>\n
Try a skinny dip <\/span> <\/h3>\n