{"435031":{"#nid":"435031","#data":{"type":"news","title":"What\u2019s In a Tray? Tech Talks Healthy School Lunch","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EAs a new year begins for both college students and younger ones, many parents will once again begin spending mornings packing lunches for their children.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p4\u0022\u003EAs a parent and dietitian, Amber Johnson, nutritionist for Health Promotion and Dining Services, knows firsthand the challenges of packing healthy lunches and getting kids to eat them.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EJohnson\u2019s first advice, of course, is to cover all the basic food groups. A good lunch should include at least three of the following: protein, dairy, fruits\/vegetables, and whole grains.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003ELunch contents may also be dependent on when your child eats lunch.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cIf lunch is at 10 a.m., a whole grain waffle with sunbutter or soybutter might be more acceptable than last night\u2019s lasagna,\u201d she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EPackaging can throw a wrench in things for some \u2014 juice boxes or pre-packaged crackers or fruit gummies can be hard to open. A healthier, and easier, suggestion from Johnson is to cut up fruits and veggies and pack those instead, and a thermos of milk or water.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cFor picky eaters, be sure to pair one of their favorite foods along with a newer food,\u201d she suggests.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EFinally, timing is everything. When students only have 20\u201330 minutes to eat, and spend much of it talking with friends, having the food cut in bite size pieces can encourage healthy intake \u2014 even for things such as sandwiches.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cMeal planning helps me so I won\u2019t be stumped in the wee hours,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cWork with your dinner menu and what you already have around the house. I like to include a little treat, like fruit leather, every once in a while, too. Have fun with it!\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EKatherine Drake, academic assistant in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, taught in elementary schools for 13 years before coming to Georgia Tech. She found that healthy lunches were vital for student performance, even at a young age.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cIf a child isn\u2019t fed or if they\u2019re hungry, or if they\u2019ve just had a gigantic handful of M\u0026amp;Ms for lunch, it affects their performance,\u201d she said. \u201cFood is one of the basic needs, and if they don\u2019t have the food they need then they can\u2019t perform at their highest level.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p6\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u2014 Ben Wright, College of Engineering, contributed to this story.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAmber Johnson, nutritionist in Health Promotion and Dining Services, offers advice on how to pack easy, healthy lunches.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Amber Johnson, nutritionist in Health Promotion and Dining Services, offers advice on how to pack easy, healthy lunches."}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2015-08-17 11:16:40","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:19:22","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2015-08-17T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2015-08-17T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"435021":{"id":"435021","type":"image","title":"School Lunch","body":null,"created":"1449256148","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 19:09:08","changed":"1475895174","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:52:54","alt":"School Lunch","file":{"fid":"202971","name":"schoollunch.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/schoollunch_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/schoollunch_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1273753,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/schoollunch_0.jpg?itok=NTMWLBzw"}}},"media_ids":["435021"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/communityhealth.gatech.edu\/","title":"Center for Community Health and Wellbeing"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"397","name":"children"},{"id":"1506","name":"faculty"},{"id":"116","name":"food"},{"id":"398","name":"health"},{"id":"3767","name":"lunch"},{"id":"4131","name":"nutrition"},{"id":"169754","name":"school lunch"},{"id":"167018","name":"staff"},{"id":"4076","name":"wellness"},{"id":"4152","name":"whistle"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:kristen.bailey@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EKristen Bailey\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}