Packing a Perfect Lunchbox By Joy Bauer, M.S., R.D., C.D.N. - Posted Wed, Aug 30, 2006, 10:09 am PDT

1. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Wed, Aug 30, 2006, 12:08 pm PDT

I never packed a lunch. My nephew always got the school lunch. It just made my life so much easier.

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2. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Wed, Aug 30, 2006, 3:12 pm PDT

I have an insulated lunch box for my daughter; still I worry about temperature sensitive items like the chicken salad with mayo, etc. I know the danger zone is between 40-140 degrees. Won't the food be susceptible to bacteria growth??

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3. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Wed, Aug 30, 2006, 6:44 pm PDT

ganesha, you can throw in an ice pack to keep foods cold.

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4. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Thu, Aug 31, 2006, 5:55 am PDT

I let my kids "pick" what they want from a list of choices. They feel like they are picking their lunch and I know they are getting nutritious food.

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5. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Thu, Aug 31, 2006, 11:26 am PDT

I was allowed to pack a lunch once a month. So we picked out our least favorite meal from the school's lunch calendar and that's the day we took our lunch. By not taking it all the time I learned to eat different foods not to mention it was a special treat to take our lunch! I plan on doing the dame for our kids.

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6. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Thu, Aug 31, 2006, 11:27 am PDT

I was allowed to pack a lunch once a month. So we picked out our least favorite meal from the school's lunch calendar and that's the day we took our lunch. By not taking it all the time I learned to eat different foods not to mention it was a special treat to take our lunch! I plan on doing the dame for our kids.

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7. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Thu, Aug 31, 2006, 11:42 am PDT

Ganesha, another idea to keep food cold in a lunch box, pack a bottle of water for your childs lunch. Freeze the bottled water the night before and put it in your childs lunchbox with their food the next morning. It will keep the food cold and the water will be ready to drink by lunch time.

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8. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Thu, Aug 31, 2006, 11:42 am PDT

Ganesha, another idea to keep food cold in a lunch box, pack a bottle of water for your childs lunch. Freeze the bottled water the night before and put it in your childs lunchbox with their food the next morning. It will keep the food cold and the water will be ready to drink by lunch time.

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9. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Thu, Aug 31, 2006, 11:43 am PDT

Ganesha, another idea to keep food cold in a lunch box, pack a bottle of water for your childs lunch. Freeze the bottled water the night before and put it in your childs lunchbox with their food the next morning. It will keep the food cold and the water will be ready to drink by lunch time.

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10. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Thu, Aug 31, 2006, 11:43 am PDT

Ganesha, another idea to keep food cold in a lunch box, pack a bottle of water for your childs lunch. Freeze the bottled water the night before and put it in your childs lunchbox with their food the next morning. It will keep the food cold and the water will be ready to drink by lunch time.

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11. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Thu, Aug 31, 2006, 9:24 pm PDT

So my 3 y.o. just started going to preschool. She eats breakfast and lunch provided by the state of California. Well, it turns out that she gets all the JUNK FOOD at school! From sugar glazed cake and ice cream, to chocolate or strawberry milk and cookies!!! Not to mention the nachos and cheese dip. My daughter has put on 1 pound in less than 2 weeks of school!!! I am desperate! I am grateful for the school and the meals, but really, is all this junk necessary? Why not just the piece of fruit (without the cookies)? Why not just plain old milk? It really makes no sense. Good habits start at a young age. Why not give the kids better, more nutrional, lower calorie meals?

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12. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Thu, Aug 31, 2006, 9:25 pm PDT

So my 3 y.o. just started going to preschool. She eats breakfast and lunch provided by the state of California. Well, it turns out that she gets all the JUNK FOOD at school! From sugar glazed cake and ice cream, to chocolate or strawberry milk and cookies!!! Not to mention the nachos and cheese dip. My daughter has put on 1 pound in less than 2 weeks of school!!! I am desperate! I am grateful for the school and the meals, but really, is all this junk necessary? Why not just the piece of fruit (without the cookies)? Why not just plain old milk? It really makes no sense. Good habits start at a young age. Why not give the kids better, more nutrional, lower calorie meals?

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13. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Thu, Aug 31, 2006, 9:48 pm PDT

I think this is a really good idea. My mom packed my lunch every single day of school from preschool until 11th grade, and now I pack my own. I have tried to be as health conscious as possible and this article helped me to understand what to pack!

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14. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Thu, Aug 31, 2006, 11:03 pm PDT

dreaminabox-try to look into enrolling your child at your local Head start program.The food program is funded by the USDA so your child has a much better chance of getting a healthier meal.

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15. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Thu, Aug 31, 2006, 11:22 pm PDT

[IMG]http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b122/ha_zaizi86/zaizi1986/th26bfb5a1.gif[/IMG]

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