Northwest Health | WINTER 2009 By Rhonda Aronwald

Ever check your child's lunchbox after school and find that the sandwich you made is untouched — and surrounded by wrappers of "donated" food you didn't pack and wouldn't have included in the first place? Faithfully making a lunch every day doesn't guarantee that your child will eat it. So how do you pack foods that are healthy, tasty, and so tempting your kids can't resist them?

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Let kids be advisers. Ask your kids to make a list of their favorite healthy foods that you can refer to as you plan, shop, and pack. Make shopping for lunch items a family outing, then ask your kids to help you pack their lunches — or to pack it themselves if they're mature enough. If they have some input on their lunches, they may be more likely to eat them.

Use the Food Pyramid as a guide. A well-rounded diet for a child includes whole grains, protein, dairy products, fruits, and vegetables. "MyPyramid.gov offers details about recommended allowances for different foods, and user-friendly tools to help your family achieve healthier meal planning," says registered dietitian Sherrie Burke of Group Health Riverfront Medical Center.

Escape the peanut butter and jelly rut. Consider using alternatives to loaf bread for sandwiches. For example, try tortillas, hamburger or hot dog buns, bagels, pita bread, rice cakes, or waffles instead of sliced bread for sandwiches. Take a tip from the sub shops and toss some shredded cheese and sliced olives on the sandwich. If your kids turn up their noses at coarse and dark breads, consider using the "white" whole-wheat variety. It's made with albino wheat and is still whole grain, but it has a lighter texture and sweeter taste. Or skip the sandwich altogether and pack a thermos of hot soup as the star attraction.

Make fruits and veggies fun. Top apples or celery with peanut butter and raisins. Include veggies with a dip — low-fat dressing, hummus, or salsa. Use chunk pineapple, strawberries, and grapes to make fruit shish kebabs.

Sweeten the deal. Toss in a healthy, homemade cookie, a graham cracker, a mini muffin, or trail mix. Add calcium to your child's meal with a yogurt or pudding pack. "Including a small sweet that offers some health benefits helps teach children that moderation is key," says Burke.

Add an element of surprise — and some armchair psychology. Include an encouraging note in the lunchbox. Just for fun, try writing it on a banana or orange peel — or a favorite comic strip. Use cookie cutters to cut bread into fun shapes — kids seem to think sandwiches taste better this way.

Keep it cool. Bacteria don't grow in foods that are high in acid or low in moisture. Peanut butter, raw veggies, hard cheeses, and dried meats, for example, can be kept safe for the few hours they sit in a lunchbox.

For handle-with-care foods such as deli turkey, spread each piece of bread with softened butter or low-fat margarine to keep the bread from absorbing moisture. Lay on the meat, wrap or bag the sandwich, and pop it in the freezer — without the veggies — overnight or longer. It should thaw by lunchtime.

Freeze a low-sugar juice box or small refillable water bottle (well sealed) to include with the lunch. This way, the meal stays chilled and the beverage is ready to drink by lunch. Reusable ice packs and insulated lunchboxes are also options.