Putting health in the lunch bag

Deirdre Newman

Parents, beware: what you put in your child’s lunch box may come

back to haunt them in the form of obesity and type II diabetes.

So say experts at Lindora Medical Clinic in Newport Beach.

To combat these conditions, the Lindora staff has given lunchboxes

a makeover -- recommending they be stocked with healthy, low-fat

options.

Getting kids on the right track nutritionally can derail disease

and weight problems later in life, said Shelly Lummus, nurse

practitioner.

“We have parents come through every day who are struggling with

their weight,” Lummus said. “A lot of moms’ biggest fear is passing

down their weight struggles to their kids.”

Lindora has 32 clinics throughout Southern California that offer

nutrition, exercise and stress management programs with specially

trained physicians and nurses.

The company’s focus on healthy nutrition for kids is in response

to national statistics showing the number of overweight children

between the ages of 6 and 11 has doubled in the last two decades and

has tripled in the adolescent age range, Lummus said.

Type II diabetes is also growing at an alarming rate and affecting

people at a younger age, Lummus said.

“Traditionally, it’s been called ‘adult onset’ [diabetes], but you

can’t really call it that anymore,” Lummus said.

While the recent trend in schools is to yank out vending machines

stocked with sugary soda, that just scratches the surface of

unhealthy eating in schools, Lummus said.

So if you’re packing lunches, try to avoid prepackaged meals

because the lunch meat they use can be high in fat and sodium and the

juice is only 5% fruit juice, Lummus said.

While Newport-Mesa Unified School District officials consider the

school lunch program to be the healthiest option for kids because of

its nutritional standards, they echo Lummus’ suggestions to avoid

prepackaged meals and concentrate on fresh fruits and vegetables.

“[Parents] should avoid putting carbonated soda in their

elementary-age kids’ lunch,” said Richard Greene, director of food

services for the district. “Even things like Sunny Delight that call

themselves juice products actually have very little fruit juice in

them. They are basically just empty calories.”

Lummus suggests that students also steer clear of bags of fried

potato chips and cookies, which are usually easy to purchase in large

quantities. White bread is also a no-no since it has no nutrient

value, she said.

Instead, go for whole grain bread since it contains more fiber and

lean meats like turkey. For cheese, look for low-fat or fat-free

because the second largest source of saturated fat in kids’ diets

comes from cheese, Lummus said.

To make sandwiches sing with flavor, add vegetables like tomatoes,

roasted peppers, sweet onions or grilled zucchini.

Also make sure to include a fruit serving, since fresh fruit

includes fiber not found in fruit juices.

The prevalence of fresh produce in Southern California should make

putting together a healthy lunch easier, Lummus said.

“We’re lucky here,” she said. “We can get almost any fruit or

vegetable. So we should encourage kids to try them.”

For snacks, Lummus recommends baked potato chips, low-fat rice

cakes, air-popped popcorn or peanut butter with celery.