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'Tis the night before school.
The kids are in bed.
You're making their lunches. What should they be fed?
It's back-to-school time, and
parents face one of the hardest tasks of their lives:
Planning 180 healthy and delicious lunch menus for their
children during the course of the school year.
The effort can pay big dividends
for your children.
Research shows that proper
nutrition plays a critical role in your child's
development, school performance and relationships.
Similarly, there's also a strong link between children's
oral health and their school performance, social
relationships and success later in life.
With so much at stake, what should
you pack in that Spider-Man or Powerpuff Girls lunchbox?
Start with the USDA's Food
Guide Pyramid. This outlines the ingredients of a
basic healthy diet and daily serving recommendations:
| Breads,
cereals, rice and pasta group |
6-11 servings |
| Fruit group |
2-4 servings |
| Vegetable group |
3-5 servings |
| Milk group |
2-3 servings |
| Meat, poultry,
fish, dry beans, eggs and nuts group |
2-3 servings |
| Fats, oils and
sweets |
Sparingly |
Consider the "sticky"
factor. Sticky, gooey foods such as candy stick to
the teeth, prolonging exposure to sugar. Even healthy
foods such as dried fruit and raisins have a high sticky
factor.
Say "cheese." It
triggers the flow of saliva, which helps wash food
particles away from teeth.
For "crunch," pack
fruit and vegetables instead of potato chips.
Younger children especially like small, bite-sized
portions.
The National Institute of Dental
and Craniofacial Research suggests the following foods
for tooth-friendly lunches:
Fresh fruits and
raw vegetables
| Berries |
Melons |
| Broccoli |
Oranges |
| Canned fruits
in natural juices |
Pears |
| Carrots |
Pineapple |
| Celery |
Tangerines |
| Cucumbers |
Tomatoes |
| Grapefruit |
Unsweetened
fruit and vegetable juices |
Grains
| Bread |
Pretzels
(low-salt) |
| Pasta |
Tortilla chips
(baked, not fried) |
| Plain bagels |
Unbuttered
popcorn |
| Plain crackers |
Unsweetened
cereals |
Milk and dairy
products
| Low
or non-fat cheeses |
Low
or non-fat milk |
| Low
or non-fat cottage cheese |
Low
or non-fat yogurt |
Meat, nuts and
seeds
| Chicken |
Sliced meats |
| Nuts |
Sunflower seeds |
| Pumpkin seeds |
Turkey |
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