A healthy lunchbox proves a tasty challenge

A healthy lunchbox proves a tasty challenge

Maria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Sparing time to prepare an interesting and nutritionally balanced
lunchbox for their children day in and day out is a major
challenge for many busy parents.

Paulina, a working mother of two elementary school students,
found it was too difficult to achieve every day.

"I just give them some money so they can buy something for
lunch at school," she said.

Yet, many parents are plagued by fears that opting to have
their children buy lunch from vendors in and around the school
may be putting their children's health at risk. Concerns for
hygiene are questionable and many studies have shown that the
food is loaded with preservatives, additives, sodium, MSG and
coloring agents.

Since school administrations have yet to pay strict attention
to hygiene and the nutritional standard of food sold in school
canteens or at the compound, the remaining options for a healthy
lunch is to eat at home or bring a homemade lunchbox to school.

Liliana, also a mother of two, insists that her children
return home for lunch every day although she gives them pocket
money before they go to school.

"Fortunately, I live close to school so they can return home
for lunch," she said.

Lunch is an important element of a school-age child's daily
diet, according to Geetruida Rory, a dietitian with the Pantai
Indah Kapuk hospital in North Jakarta.

Food sold by vendors may take the edge off the children's
hunger and satisfy caloric intake requirements, but it will come
up short for their nutritional needs. Children may end up gorging
on fast food snacks, and suffer from a weight problem as a
result, she added.

Parents need to instill good eating habits in their children
as early as possible to ensure they are getting the nutrients and
energy they need for growth and development, even when their
mother cannot keep an eye on what they are eating.

Well-planned homemade meals are bound to be more hygienic and
nutritionally balanced, she said, noting that a good breakfast is
important to provide children with the energy to start the day.

She said a good breakfast would prevent a hypoglycemic
condition or "sugar rush" from snacking on sweet, processed foods
that leads to fatigue, sleepiness and concentration problems,
thus affecting children's performance at school.

"A well-balanced lunch is important, especially for school-
aged children of seven to 12 years old because they start having
activities outside their home, like playing with their friends or
joining an after-school study group," Geetruida said.

Since many children are too young to understand the importance
of making healthy food selections, parents are advised to provide
them with a lunchbox.

"Apart from their high fat content, junk food also tends to be
too salty or too sweet, and this can affect children's
sensitivity to flavors and in the long term, can trigger health
problems like overweight, hypertension, heart disease or
diabetes," Geetruida said.

Children's nutritional status, she said, was determined by
measuring their age, height and weight. For instance, the ideal
body weight for children with an average body height from 121.7
centimeters to 149.7 centimeters ranges from 22 kilograms to 39
kilograms, with adjustments for their individual body frame.

"If a child weighs less than the average range, he or she can
be considered undernourished and parents need to be cautious,"
she said.

At this age, children need an average caloric intake of 1,900
-- drawn from 20 to 25 percent protein, 60 percent carbohydrate
and 15 to 20 percent fat. A good diet needs to comprise various
sources to assure the meal provides all the macro and micro
nutrition for healthy growth.

Geetruida said one third of the daily caloric intake was
ideally fulfilled by a good lunch meal, including a serving of
each of the following -- rice (or other carbohydrate), meat,
vegetable with a slice of fruit (or unsweetened fruit juice) and
a serving of bottled or packed milk.

"A quick, tasty lunch that looks appetizing is preferable so
they can play right after finishing their lunch," Geetruida said.

The dietitian acknowledged that preparing a lunchbox is a
challenge and time-consuming for parents, especially working
mothers. But exploring cookbooks might help solve the problem of
resorting to the same sandwich-snack-drink routine.

Parents should also be creative in encouraging their children
to eat "icky" but nutritious food, like vegetables.

"Spinach, for instance, can be transformed into a delicious
cream soup or pie that is more interesting that just plain
vegetables," she explained.

Parents can also learn to prepare meals that fit their
children's needs, like a low-fat but tasty lunchbox for children
with a tendency to overweight.

"This way parents know what their children eat and control
consumption of junk food or sweets that tend to be high in salt,
sugar and fat but low in nutrition."

A launch on the go

Introducing a well balanced diet to children should start as
early possible in the home to ensure they adopt good eating
habits that will serve them throughout their lives.

Although some children may have eating problems or dislike
certain food groups, it is wise to encourage them to eat a
balanced, varied diet, taken from carbohydrates (rice, potatos or
bread), protein (meats, fish, egg, tempeh, tofu), vegetables,
fruits and milk.

Patience and creative cooking are important to persuade
children to try nutritionally rich foods they dislike.

Since a lunchbox is prepared in the morning but consumed
several hours later, it's important to consider those foods that
will spoil quickly.

These include oily foods, especially those containing coconut
milk, items which should be kept refrigerated and reheated before
eating, or mayonnaise, which can be a source for the
proliferation of the salmonella bacteria without proper
refrigeration.

Durable foods for a lunchbox are those that contain no milk,
coconut milk, and have little oil and liquid.

Keep in mind varying the diet is not only healthier but also
makes meal time a lot more interesting.

If it is impossible to plan and prepare a lunchbox, encourage
children to buy freshly prepared food at school to minimize risks
of salmonella contamination and to avoid precooked or semi-cooked
food, like gado-gado (mixed vegetables).

As for drinks, advise your children to avoid nonbottled
beverages. Suitable picks are mineral water, individually packed
fresh milk or nonsweetened fruit juice, instead of sugary
carbonated drinks.

-- Maria Endah Hulupi