Meals eaten away from home are often too high in saturated fat and cholesterol and too low in fiber and other nutrients. Healthy school lunches are essential to reversing the growing trends of chronic disease in children and teens. 

Building a diet with fruits, vegetables, healthful grains, and legumes from a young age will help children prefer those foods throughout their lives. People who maintain a healthy weight throughout life tend to stay healthier and live longer. It is never too early to adopt a healthful diet.

ealthy snacks are easy and quick to put together and eat, and offer important nutrients and energy in each delicious bite. Keep healthy beverages, such as water, juice, and soymilk, and snack foods, such as the ones listed below, on-hand at home and encourage your children to pack them into their bags with their healthy school lunch before leaving the house.

• Apple slices with nut butter

• Fresh fruits

• Dried fruits, especially raisins

• Applesauce or other fruit cups

• Nuts, especially mixed with dried fruit

• Individual boxes of soymilk, rice milk, or fruit juices

• Toasted whole-grain breads or crackers with fruit spread or nut butters

• Frozen bananas blended with a little non-dairy milk

• Chopped raw vegetables and dip