As parents grapple with getting all the right school supplies, attention must also be turned to that age old question – “What’s for lunch?” Coming up with tasty and nutritional lunch and snack options can sometimes be exasperating and quite a challenge when make it fast, make it fun, and above all, compliance with the edict – “don’t embarrass me in front of my friends with some weird food mom!” Parents are not the only providers who struggle with school lunches. The school system itself is a provider and according to the WCPSS Nutrition Services website, although they have standards to meet, working within the budget is problematic. The information on the WCPSS website states: “In August 2005, the NC General Assembly passed nutrition standards for foods served to students in grades K-5… A pilot of 132 elementary schools was partially funded to allow them to voluntarily meet the standards and determine what financial impact the standards would have on the self-supporting Child Nutrition programs. At the end of five months, these schools lost $300,000 and were unable to afford the expensive healthier choices in the legislation. The General Assembly postponed the implementation date until state funding could be provided to offset the losses. However, two sessions of the General Assembly have come and gone, and the state’s nutrition standards are still not funded…The implementation scheduled for July 2008 is now postponed until 2010. State standards for middle and high schools are expected to follow once elementary school implementation has occurred. Below are the state standards that Wake County meets even though the implementation date continues to be moved back. “

The information on the site also includes the following:

When averaged over the week, reimbursable meals will contain:

20 - 35% of calories from fat no more than 10% total calories from saturated fat no more than 100 mg of cholesterol Food preparation methods are limited to baking, roasting, broiling, boiling, and steaming. A minimum of 1 daily serving of whole grain products will be offered… Four fruits and/or vegetables will be offered daily... Legumes will be offered at least 1 time per week. All milk choices will be 1% or less fat.

Michelle Leroy is not only a Wake County parent, but is the Healthy Living Teacher at Lincoln Heights Elementary. She has many tips to help keep student mealtime healthy, including paying attention to portion control. She cautions, “A lot of parents put pre-packed treats in their children lunchboxes. What many of them don’t realize is that these packages are often greater than a single serving. She explains, “Six Oreos in a package is three times the amount of a standard two cookie serving. Big Grab bags of salty snacks can contain up to 2.5 servings. I was in a Kindergarten class this fall when the children were taking out their snacks. One of the little girls had a Big Grab bag that did actually contain 2.5 servings - and she ate the whole thing. Generally, when these treat bags are in lunch boxes, they are the first thing that the kids eat. If the kids are consuming 2-3 servings of the treats, which are empty calories, they fill up quickly and have less interest in eating other healthier options.”

A healthy tip for parents would be to “bag” snacks from the standard package, measuring out the proper portions. Keep the “lunch baggies” separated out specifically to have ready to drop in lunch bags during the week.

Another tip Leroy shares is, “Water is essential. Water should be the beverage of choice in lunchboxes - and I mean water without flavoring or flavor packets. Flavored waters can add as many calories as juice boxes - and the calorie free flavored waters contain artificial sugars. Parents should not pack Gatorade or other sports drinks in lunches - kids don’t spend their lunch time on a treadmill and don’t need to replace the minerals and carbohydrates lost during exercise while sitting in a cafeteria.”

Several parents interviewed for this article list peanut butter and jelly as a number one lunchtime choice, but others offered up some interesting alternatives to the standard, like putting it on crackers instead of bread, pita, or tortillas, or using whole grain bread choices. Instead of including bread in a sandwich, some children prefer “roll ups.” These can be created from slices of chicken, ham, or turkey rolled up and ready to eat as a “finger food.” Low fat yogurts and puddings were also popular, along with string cheeses. Another food that isn’t so “foreign” in school cafeterias is hummus. Part of a Middle Eastern diet, hummus is made from ground chick peas, but also comes in many forms created from white navy beans, even soy beans. Rich in protein, hummus is a smooth spread that can be put on pita wedges, or even used a “dipper” for carrot sticks or pretzels.

Classic favorites such as trail mix and granola bars are always a wise choice and provide an energy boost that lasts much longer than what a sugary alternative would support. Mother of three children, Blair Rice, faces challenges due to her children’s food allergies, and she gets creative with trail mixes to meet her family’s needs. Her concoctions include: nuts, raisins, Cheerios or other healthy cereal and pretzels. Erica Bailey, a mom of a middle schooler and rising high school freshman became concerned when she learned that the vending machines at her daughter’s middle school contained several unhealthy choices. How did Bailey counter the temptation her daughter faced? She explains, “I packed extra healthy snacks for her to eat. I also told her that because something is in the vending machine at school does not mean it is good for you. I also said that it is ok to eat sweets, but in moderation and not every time you sit down for lunch.”

For more details on healthy choices for children visit: www.americanheart.org.