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Here are some quick, healthy alternatives to the high glycemic junk that the food makers promote as "lunch box" food!

First, a few tips:

• I send my children with a small bottle of water or let them buy a pint of milk each day rather than fruit juice. As far as I'm concerned, fruit juice is like candy. I'd much rather send my kids with the WHOLE FRUIT so they feel full, get all the fiber, and get the phytonutrients that commerical juicing takes out! AND REMEMBER: ANY DRINK ENDING IN "ADE" IS SUGAR-FILLED, AND IS TO BE AVOIDED!
• Designate one day a week as "treat day" so they can look forward to something special. In our house, Friday is "treat day," and my children either get to buy lunch at school, or bring a treat like a cookie, a fruit drink, or a small bag of chips.
• Your children may feel funny at first because their lunch is different from everyone else's. We went through this last year with my daughter, who likes sprouts, but didn't like it when her peers teased her for eating "worms." So prepare your children. Talk to them about good nutrition, the growing problem of childhood obesity, and your desire for your whole family to get healthy together. Once I explained what her peers' sugary lunches were doing to their bodies, my daughter was much more at ease about her "different" healthy lunches.
• Most yogurt products marketed to kids are LOADED with sucrose and high fructose corn syrup. Read your labels, and get the LOWEST amount of added sugar possible.

Now, on to some lunch ideas. Remember that these are merely guidelines, and you should check with your pediatrician whenever changing your child's diet, especially if your child is diabetic or has any other medical condition. You need to gauge the portion size to your child's age and activity level. Also note that some items, such as raw carrots or soy nuts, may not be suitable for smaller children as they could pose a choking hazard. Use common sense!

Day One:
Cheese Cubes
Raw Carrots
A slice of whole wheat bread
a medium apple
water

Day Two:
low sugar yogurt
a banana
home made flax seed muffins
water

Day Three:
tuna
a salad consisting of lettuce, tomato, olives
4 whole wheat crackers
a pear
milk

Day Four:
Cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread
sprouts (to go on sandwich)
an apple
water

Day Five:
Ranch or Yogurt dip (low fat is fine as long as it is not loaded with sugar to make up for the fat!)
homemade or no sugar added peanut butter or almond butter
raw carrots, celery, broccoli, whole wheat crackers for "dipping"
a plum
water

Day Six:
Canned chicken
a green salad
rice cake (NOT popcorn cake!)
strawberries
milk

Day Seven:
cubed turkey or chicken (assuming you can chill it!)
cucumber and tomato salad
some dry high fiber, low sugar cereal
a banana
water

Day Eight:
Salad consisting of kidney beans or black soy beans, broccoli, lettuce, olive and whole wheat croutons
melon wedges
water

Day Nine:
High Fiber, low sugar cereal
Milk or soy milk(for cereal)
blueberries
water

Day Ten:
Hard Boiled Eggs
celery, carrots, cucumbers
Dressing for dipping
a slice of whole wheat bread
nectarine

If you need to send your child with a "snack", here are some ideas:

• string cheese or cubed cheese
• soy nuts
• raisins and fiber cereal dry in a container
• berries and fiber cereal dry in a container
• small yogurt
• fruit
• raw veggies
• half a cheese sandwich
• rice cakes

Don't fall into the "we're running late, here take this" trap...

Look, I'm not a "school lunch saint." But if MOST OF US sent our kids with a really healthy low sugar lunch MOST of the time, wouldn't that be a big improvement over the current state of affairs in this country?

As a former elementary school teacher, I can tell you what most children bring to school for snack and/or lunch: Pretzels, popcorn, chips, fruit chews or fruit roll-ups, "lunch-able food in a box", candy bars, toaster pastries, high sugar granola bars, gold fish crackers, fake cheese (full of trans-fatty acid) and crackers in a package, high fructose corn syrup peanut butter and jelly on white bread, nitrite laden cold cuts on white bread, 10% juice drinks loaded with sugar... need I go on?

I've found that the most effective way to get the lunch boxes filled up in the morning is this: give your kids two or three choices for lunch, and let them pick and (if age appropriate) pack their lunches themselves. Just remember: if ALL the choices are healthy, you don't have to say no, and that makes everyone happy!

You might be thinking at this point, "This is NEVER gonna fly with my kids! They don't like veggies/fruit/etc." Well, why not start gradually?

First, cut out chips or pretzels and substitute a fruit they do like, usually banana, apple or raisins (keep raisin portions small - they have a lot of natural sugar). Next, cut out sugar drinks and replace with milk or water.

Then, perhaps cut down a portion of a sugary food they like and add a little of a "new" food. (Example: give them HALF a PBJ on white bread, and maybe a few cheese cubes or a small yogurt.) Crustless Veggie Quiches or flax seed muffins with carrots or zucchini can get some veggies into even the most resistant children. Nuts are a great way to get good, concentrated nutrition into your children. Just control portion size, and try to get less salty nuts!

I hear what's coming next: "This looks like a lot of work and prep time." Well, maybe. But I know my children are worth it. And I know yours are too. Good planning, and a few weeks of forcing yourself to go for the low glycemic/ low sugar lunch, will make the whole thing a habit, both for you and your children. C'mon! Let's do our part to make the next generation healthy and fit! After all, who's gonna take care of us in our old age if we don't!