A Nutrition Lesson

Choices, choices, choices. Kids are faced with them every day, and the lunchroom is no exception. It can be hard to keep track of what your kids are eating.

The easiest way to make sure your child is eating right, say experts at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, is for both of you to be involved in packing a lunch. Consider it a nutrition lesson. Here are some tips from the experts:

• Make sure your child eats a healthful breakfast, which will keep him or her from getting too hungry by lunchtime.

• Teach your child that a bag lunch needs to include foods from five food groups: protein (meats or peanut butter), grains (breads or pasta, preferably whole wheat), vegetables (tomato or lettuce on a sandwich or cut-up veggies), fruits (fresh fruit is best, then try canned fruit or juice), and dairy (milk, cheese, cottage cheese or yogurt).

• If possible, provide a morning snack to prevent kids from getting too hungry (many schools allow this). Examples include low-fat peanut butter and celery, trail mixes, fruit, dry cereals, pretzels, fat-free pudding or graham crackers. You might want to check with your child's school about snack policies; some may prohibit (or at least discourage) certain foods, such as fruit snacks or other high-sugar foods.

• Keep high-fat foods such as potato chips and candy to a minimum. If you decide to offer both, limit the number of each to the child's age, such as seven chips and seven M&Ms.