Most schools are trying hard to upgrade their lunch programs and offer the best food they can. But not every school cafeteria provides appealing, healthy lunch choices. Educate yourself when it comes to what your cafeteria has to offer. For example, did you know chicken nuggets have more fat and calories than a plain burger?

    Even if your school provides healthy options, it can be too easy to give in to temptation and pick a less healthy choice when you're feeling really hungry. How do you take control? Take a packed lunch to school!

    Here are the top 5 reasons to pack your lunch — and snacks — at least twice a week:

    1. Control. Do you ever wait in the lunch line only to find when you get to the front that you don't like what they're serving? So you reach for pizza again. A healthy packed lunch lets you avoid the lunch line (and any temptations). Bringing your own lunch also lets you control exactly what goes into the food you eat.

    2. Variety. It doesn't hurt to cave in and enjoy the occasional serving of pizza and hot dogs. But if you're eating these foods all the time, your body probably feels ready for a change. A packed lunch a couple of times a week means you can enjoy some favorites that you might not find at every school — like a piping hot thermos of your mom's chicken soup; hummus and pita bread; or some crisp, farm-stand apples.

    3. Energy. If you have a big game or activity after school, plan a lunch and snacks that combine lean proteins with carbohydrates to give you lasting energy and keep you going through the late afternoon. Some ideas: your own "trail" mix of dried fruit and nuts or sunflower seeds, whole-grain pretzels and low-fat cheese, or a bagful of baby carrots and yogurt dip.

    4. Cold hard cash. Pack healthy snacks so you don't feel tempted to step off campus for a fast-food lunch, or hit the vending machine or corner store for chocolate and a soda! Put the money you save on such snacks aside.

    5. That warm and fuzzy feeling. Remember when your mom or dad used to pack your lunch? Pack yourself a retro lunch featuring healthy versions of your old faves — such as PB&J on whole-wheat bread.

    Whether you pack or eat in the cafeteria, what’s important is that you make healthy choices. If you're concerned that your cafeteria doesn't offer enough healthy choices, get involved in trying to make changes. Ask a teacher or someone in food service for advice on how to get started.

    許多學校都致力于改善午餐伙食，盡可能提供最好的食物。但并非每所學校的食堂都能提供美味健康的午餐。關于學校食堂應該供應什么伙食，你應當了解更多知識。舉例來說，你知道炸雞塊所含有的脂肪和卡路里遠高于一個普通漢堡包嗎？

    即使學校為學生們提供健康膳食，可是當你真的感覺到餓的時候，你很有可能難以抗拒美味誘惑，而選擇不太健康的食物。 那你怎么予以控制呢？ 那就自帶午餐到學校吧！

    以下是自帶午餐和小吃的5大理由——至少每周吃兩次：

    1. 控制飲食。你有沒有試過排隊等午餐，在輪到你的時候才發現，他們所提供的菜式你都不想吃。因此你又一次去吃披薩了。一份健康的自帶午餐，可讓你避免排隊等午餐（以及一些其他的誘惑）。自帶午餐，也可以讓您嚴格控制自己攝入的食物。

    2. 口味多樣。這并不影響你偶爾對誘惑妥協，享受一頓披薩和熱狗。但是如果你總是吃這些食品，你可能會感覺到你的身體開始出現一些不良變化。一個星期自帶午餐幾次，意味著可以享受一些你喜歡的而可能無法在學校中找到的食物——比如一杯保溫瓶裝的媽媽燉的熱雞湯；皮塔面包配鷹嘴豆泥；或是一些脆爽新鮮的蘋果。

    3. 能量。如果你放學后要參加一個大的游戲或活動，那么就要在午餐及點心時，吃一些含有蛋白質與碳水化合物相結合的食物，來提供你持久的能量和保持你整個下午都精力充沛。提供一些好主意：就是混合一些干果和堅果或葵花籽，全麥椒鹽卷餅和低脂奶酪，或許多小胡蘿卜和酸奶，然后用面包蘸來吃。

    4. 節省現金。自帶健康的小吃，讓您不會因為受到誘惑而離開校園去吃一個快餐午餐，或者去按自動售票機或去碰街口商店的巧克力和蘇打水。把你花在零食的錢節省起來存起來吧。

    5. 溫暖模糊的回憶。記得曾幾何時，爸爸媽媽幫你準備午餐便當的情景嗎？為自己準備一份和以前一樣的午餐吧，滿滿裝著自己以前最喜歡的健康食物——像全麥面包做的PB&J三明治。

    您是否自帶或是在食堂吃，關鍵還是要選擇健康飲食。如果您擔心您們的食堂不能提供足夠健康的食物，就盡可能試著改變。可以向老師或者餐飲部門的人員請教如何著手改善飲食。