SATURDAY, Sept. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Packing nutritious and fun
school lunches can help children achieve and maintain a healthy
weight. Here are some tips for parents from Dr. William
Gillespie, a pediatrician and chief medical officer at New York
City-based EmblemHealth. - Give your children a choice. If they
get to decide what's in their lunch, they're more likely to eat
it. Just make sure their choices are all healthy, such as
apples, bananas, carrots or celery. - Add dip to make vegetables
more fun for kids. A quick dip can be made with plain non-fat
yogurt and garlic powder (or any other seasoning your child
likes). - Make mini-kabobs by cubing low-sodium deli chicken or
turkey and low-fat cheese. Place the cubes on pretzel sticks.
You can also use grape tomatoes and green grapes. - Use whole-
wheat bread instead of white bread. Whole-wheat pita or
tortillas are other healthy options. Let your child make a
"face" on their sandwich with ingredients such as hummus, low-
fat cream cheese and cut-up vegetable