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Tips for Packing a Healthy Lunchbox

1. Make sure to include all the major food groups in your child’s lunch. This includes vegetables, grains, fruits, and proteins. According to MyPlate, a balanced meal should consist of about half a plate of fruits and/or vegetables, about a quarter of the plate with whole grains, and the remaining quarter with protein, along with a side of dairy, like a glass of milk or a cup of yogurt. Go to gov to learn more about portion sizes for each food group. Including the correct portion in your child’s lunch will not only give them a balanced meal, but will also, over time, form a habit of eating these foods as opposed to junk foods that have no positive health impacts.
2. Make packing school lunches fun by including your child in the process. Allow them to choose between different options, such as raspberries or bananas, chicken or turkey, or cucumbers or carrots. Giving them a choice will make them more inclined to eat the food in their lunch. To go a step further, ask them to help you cut vegetables, peel fruits, or pack silverware to give them some hands-on experience.

Easy, Healthy Lunch Ideas

• Turkey and Cheese Roll-Ups
  Ingredients: turkey, cheese slices.
  Instructions: Roll turkey slices around cheese slices.
• Rotisserie Chicken Pasta Salad
  Ingredients: rotisserie chicken, whole grain pasta, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, feta cheese, Italian dressing.
  Instructions: Cook pasta and let it cool. Shred rotisserie chicken. Mix cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, feta, and chicken with the pasta. Toss with Italian dressing.
• Egg Salad Sandwich
  Ingredients: hard-boiled eggs, mayonnaise, mustard, whole grain bread, lettuce.
  Instructions: Mash eggs with mayonnaise and mustard, spread on bread, add lettuce.
• Mini Pita Pockets
  Ingredients: mini whole wheat pitas, gyro meat, hummus, shredded carrots, cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes.
  Instructions: Fill pita pockets with gyro meat, hummus, and veggies.
• Banana and Nut Butter Sandwich
  Ingredients: whole grain bread, banana slices, nut butter (peanut, almond, etc.).
  Instructions: Spread nut butter on bread, add banana slices, top with another slice of bread.

According to the CDC, empty calories from added sugars and solid fats contribute to 40% of daily calories for children and adolescents ages 2 to 18 years. Approximately half of these empty calories come from six sources:

1. Soda
2. Fruit drinks
3. Dairy desserts
4. Grain desserts
5. Pizza
6. Whole milk

Go-To Snack Ideas

• Apple slices with nut butter of choice
• Carrot sticks with ranch dip
• Homemade trail mix (nuts, dried fruit, dark chocolate chips)
• Cheese cubes and whole grain crackers
• Sliced bell peppers with hummus or guacamole

Start Strong This School Year

Your child’s health is crucial to their overall physical and cognitive performance. Use these recipes to make back-to-school lunches fun, delicious, and to start them off on the right foot this school year.

Clean: Wash your hands, surfaces, and utensils thoroughly before and after cooking to keep your space clean and to avoid spreading bacteria and germs.

Separate: Keep raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs away from all other foods to avoid cross-contamination and spread of foodborne illness.

Cook: Ensure you are cooking all foods to the correct internal temperatures to kill all bacteria present. Here are the correct internal temperatures for some common meal items, according to FoodSafety.gov:

• Chicken, turkey, and other poultry: 165°F (74°C)
• Casseroles, meat, and meatless: 165°F (74°C)
• Beef, bison, goat, and lamb (ground meat and sausage): 160°F (71°C)
• Leftovers (any type): 165°F (74°C)
• Pork (ground meat and sausage): 160°F (71°C)
• Seafood (fish such as salmon, tilapia, tuna, bass, cod, trout, etc.): 145°F (63°C)

Chill: Refrigerate or freeze food promptly — or after cooling — to prevent harmful bacteria growth.

According to the World Health Organization, $110 billion is lost every year in productivity and medical expenses resulting from unsafe food in low- and middle-income countries.

Foodborne Illness

According to the CDC, about 48 million people get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die from foodborne illnesses each year in the United States. Some of the most common bacteria that cause food poisoning are Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria, Campylobacter, and Clostridium perfringens. While they can contaminate a wide variety of foods, these bacteria are most often found in:

• Meat
• Poultry
• Seafood
• Dairy
• Vegetables

Common symptoms of food poisoning caused by foodborne illnesses include stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, fever, and diarrhea. They usually start hours after ingesting certain germs, and in most cases, symptoms go away on their own; however, if symptoms persist or worsen, it’s important to seek medical help immediately. Bloody stool, fever over 102°F, having difficulty keeping liquids down, or signs of dehydration are all signs you should see a doctor.

Tips for Safe Food Handling

1. Shopping: Choose fresh, properly stored foods and be thorough when checking expiration dates.
2. Storing: Store foods at the correct temperatures and ensure you are using airtight, sealed containers to prevent bacteria from growing.
3. Preparing: Use separate cutting boards for raw meats and other foods to prevent cross-contamination.
4. Cooking: Invest in a good food thermometer so you know your foods are at the correct internal temperatures and cooked properly. Don’t leave your health in the hands of guessing.

Keeping your kitchen and everything in it — utensils, cutting boards, produce, and surfaces — clean should be your utmost priority when making a meal. Whether you are starting from scratch and making a homemade casserole or simply chopping a vegetable, taking safe steps can save you from foodborne illnesses, food poisoning, and will help keep you healthy in the long run.

If you are ever questioning what an internal temperature needs to be or how long it is safe to consume certain leftovers, utilizing reputable sources on the internet is a good place to start. Spending a little time doing your own research can save you from the hassle of sickness and can protect your health.

What Is a Headache?

The average headache causes a pain in the head or face, described as a constant throbbing. The most common type of headache is a tension headache, caused by stress and tight muscles; however, there’s also a more severe type called a cluster headache. Cluster headaches — also coined as “suicide headaches” because of their intensity — are headaches that occur in patterns with frequent attacks and then periods of remission.

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, the following are some of the differences between tension and cluster headaches.

Tension Headache

• Slow onset
• Pain on both sides of the head
• Pain is dull — mild to moderate — not severe
• Pain may involve the back part of the head or neck, pressing or tightening on both sides of the head, sensitivity to light and noise, scalp tenderness
• Can last hours to days
• Caused by stress, poor posture, dehydration, lack of sleep, straining of the eyes

Cluster Headache

• Quick onset
• Pain on one side of the head, usually behind one of the eyes
• Pain is a severe, sharp stabbing in the head
• Swelling of eyelid and/or forehead, droopy eyelid and/or small pupil, runny nose and/or congestion
• Attacks occur in clusters, can last minutes to hours
• Triggered by alcohol, specific time of day, circadian rhythm disruption — exact cause unknown

What Is a Migraine?

While headaches cause physical pain, migraines are a different beast. As a neurological condition, nausea, vomiting, lightheadedness, sensitivity to light, and other visual symptoms occur with migraines. Migraines also have four distinct phases; however, not everyone experiences every phase.

Phases of the Migraine:

• Prodrome – early warning signs such as mood or behavior changes, may be hours or even days before the headache
• Aura – sensory disturbances such as vision changes, muscle weakness, changes in speech, and hallucinations
• Headache – main phase with severe headache; sensitivity to light and motion are common as well as depression, anxiety, and fatigue
• Resolution – aftereffects of a migraine such as irritability, fatigue, and trouble concentrating; pain subsides

In the Resolution phase of a migraine, some people will feel relieved and others, unfortunately, will feel the physical and mental repercussions of the migraine. According to the American Migraine Foundation, the World Health Organization has labeled migraine as one of the 10 most debilitating medical illnesses on Earth; for more than 90% of those affected, migraine interferes with education, career, and social activities.

According to the American Migraine Foundation, more than 36 million Americans suffer from migraine, but only one of every 3 patients talk with their doctor about their headaches.

Key Differences

To know how to treat a headache, you must be able to figure out if it’s a headache or a migraine first, as each one has different treatment methods. The key differences between headaches and migraines are:

• Pain: headaches cause a constant throbbing and dull ache; migraines are accompanied by severe pounding or intense pressure
• Location: headaches occur on both sides of the head; migraines zero in on one side
• Duration: headaches can last from minutes to hours; migraines can last hours to days
• Symptoms: migraines cause nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and sound; headaches induce physical pain and tenderness around the head and neck area

Treatment

Depending on the type of headache, there are several options for treatment. For a tension headache, the use of over-the-counter pain relievers like ibuprofen (Advil), aspirin, and Excedrin Migraine is encouraged. Lifestyle changes, like drinking more water, getting adequate exercise, eating nutritious foods, and getting enough sleep are also beneficial. Making these small changes will help to combat — and hopefully lessen the amount of — tension headaches. According to Mayo Clinic, it is also important to ease muscle tension with a heat compress so the muscles can relax, since tense muscles can trigger a tension headache to start.

On the other hand, cluster headaches — much more severe than a tension headache — require medical attention. According to MedlinePlus, the only way to treat these headaches is with steroids, medication injections, 100% pure oxygen, or preventive medications, hence, the only way to access these treatments is by going to the doctor.

Treatment for migraine includes medication, lifestyle changes, and rest. Migraines are a chronic illness, but they are treatable. One of the most important parts of migraine management is migraine prevention, which can be done through taking medication every day to prevent an attack, whether you experience one a year or one a week. Some preventive medications include beta blockers like propranolol (Inderal) and anti-depressants like amitriptyline and venlafaxine (Effexor).

Medications that help during the migraine attack include over-the-counter medicine like ibuprofen (Advil) and aspirin, but when taken over a long period, they may cause medication-overuse headaches and/or stomach bleeding. Stronger prescription medications like triptans (sumatriptan (Imitrex) and rizatriptan (Maxalt)) can relieve many symptoms caused by a migraine because they block the pain pathways that go to the brain.

Moral of the Story:

If you experience severe, sudden headaches that happen frequently and affect your day-to-day life, seek medical help. According to the World Health Organization, on a global scale, headaches affected about 40% of the population, or 3.1 billion people, in 2021. Headaches are a common and painful body experience; nearly everyone gets them occasionally for various reasons. Stress, poor nutrition, and exercise are some of the biggest risk factors but also the most controllable ones.

Focus on getting your health right, so you can get your head right.