Many school programs have made strides in offering delicious, wholesome lunches, even though many face harsh budget constraints. “I’ve been in this field a long time, and there’s more focus now on school lunch and on improving the school lunch than I’ve seen in 30 years,” said Sheila Flavin, a registered dietician.
But many use processed, fortified items to meet nutritional goals, Flavin said. “Food manufacturers will put together products that are supplemented with certain vitamins so they can meet the requirements,” she said. “So you get these things like honey buns that are just junk, but they have the added vitamins and minerals that the school lunch directors need to meet the guidelines.”
Look at the school lunch menu, Flavin suggested. Decide what ones your child wants, what you can afford, and how often you have time to pack a lunch.
“My big rule is you don’t have to be 100 percent of anything,” she said. “You don’t have to take a lunch every day to school. But it’s a great idea for children to take some responsibility and pack their own lunch, to take responsibility for what they’re going to eat, too.”
• Get between advertisersand your kids. The business of marketing sugary products to children and their parents has exploded since 1982, when the appearance of Reese’s Pieces in “E. T.” jacked up sales by 65 percent.
Research suggests that the average American child sees an estimated 20,000 television commercials annually, about half for food products. Limiting screen time to two hours a day can help. In addition, parents should watch TV with their children and teach them marketing self-defense.
• Bend but don’t break.Researchers studying the effects of parenting styles on children’s nutrition and eating habits found that rigid authoritarians and eat-what-you- want parents got the worst results.
What worked best, the study found, was spelling out the rules and the reasons, sticking to them most of the time, and working on acceptable compromises.
Flavin said that at times, she used to let her kids eat sugary cereal on weekends. Even though she found them repulsive, she would buy her kids Lunchables on occasion.
“They got those for their birthday, or a field trip,” she said. “I would tell my kids, ‘These are gross, but you can have it — it’s your birthday.’ ”
• Do the work to decodenutrition information yourself. Marketers are trying harder than ever to dress up sugary products with wholesome camouflage. Labels boasting of vitamin and fiber content can camouflage junk.
“Today’s granola bars, breakfast bars and Power Bars are glorified cookies and glorified candy bars, for the most part,” Flavin said. “The sweet and salty ones, with the nuts and frosting on it, I love them. But, whoa—this is a candy bar, even if it’s yogurt-frosted.”
Sometimes it takes a moment, looking at nutrition labels and doing the math, to decide which product is best for you.
Healthy food selections can be made in Norfolk, Virginia at Food Lion, Farm Fresh, Fresh Pride and the commissary.
Sharon’s site: http://www.babykidscanread.com
