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Forever Fit/Gayle Guyardo

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By GAYLE GUYARDO

Published: November 16, 2007

It wasn't until I was assigned a story on packing healthy lunches that I realized I'm not exactly at the top of the class anymore when it comes to making the right picks. In fact, if I had to grade myself, I'd say I've slipped to a C-.

Oh, I kicked off the school year with the best intentions. I didn't like the choices my daughters, Katie, 9, and Lindsay, 7, were making as part of their school lunch program, so I took the reigns.

I felt like June Cleaver from "Leave It to Beaver," cutting up fresh vegetables, preparing healthy tuna salads and carefully chilling their water the night before. But when I unpacked their book bags at the end of the school day, the foods I so carefully picked were still in their lunch boxes, wilted and smelling not-so-sweet.

After weeks of trying to adjust my menu selections to please the kids, I found myself caving in and packing so-called "un-foods" for lunch, like potato chips and chocolate chip cookies.

Clearwater chiropractor and nutrition expert Dr. Julie Gatza says "un-foods" are basically junk foods. "There is nothing wrong with junk food here and there," she told me. "But it lacks minerals, vitamins, enzymes and good fats that help metabolism work properly in the body."

Together, Dr. Gatza and I strolled through the perimeter aisles of a local Fresh Market, shopping for healthy picks. She filled our cart with colorful vegetables, nuts, granola cereals, whole-grain breads and natural fruit juices. "These are items that are easy to pack, and most kids find them tasty," she explained.

I took one glance into that grocery cart, and besides a peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat, I didn't see one thing my 7-year-old would agree to eat.

I told Dr. Gatza about my endless efforts to please my picky eater, and she told me it's time for tough love. "I have found that if you're strong about it for a week, their metabolism will begin to shift," she said. "Junk food is a physical craving that settles down once the body is balanced. You'll see, after a matter of days a child will no longer be screaming for something sweet."

It's said you have to "pick your battles," and after this wake-up call, I'm pledging to serve nutritional lunches my girls will eat. Neither is overweight, but I know my Lindsay will feel more energized and focused at school when I get her eating habits in check.

And that's what it's all about, really: overall body wellness for our children. Dr. Gatza believes with healthy nutrition your child can have glowing skin, balanced hormones and metabolism, sharpened thinking skills and increased energy.

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