— You can count on the Muskogee County Health Department’s nutritionist Jennifer Roe to pack a healthy lunch.

“I tend to pack the same thing every day. It’s just easier that way,” Roe said. “I have a sandwich with turkey, lettuce and tomato, some yogurt and some apple slices. Sometimes I get different fruits and vegetables.”

Whether at work or at school, a healthy “sack lunch” goes beyond sandwich and chips. A brochure from the American Dietetic Association says sack lunches not only can be healthier but also are far less expensive than going out for lunch.

Cheryl Monroe, a clinical dietitian at Muskogee Regional Medical Center, said a healthy meal offers  “variety, portion control and balance.”

“A good lunch should have a little bit of everything,” she said, using the “MyPlate” diagram from the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a guideline.

The diagram has five components — fruits, vegetables, grains, protein and dairy.

“A good lunch would have a complement of all these,” Monroe said. “Oranges have vitamin C. Broccoli has vitamin K.”

People can get protein not only from meats, but also from cheese, beans and nuts, she said.

An example of a healthy lunch might include three ounces of grilled chicken for the protein; a whole wheat roll for the grain, a side salad and a side of broccoli for the vegetable and a fruit cup for the fruit.

“The fruit cup would be more like the dessert but would still stay within a healthy diet,” Monroe said.

Pasta, spaghetti and rice are good sources of grain.

“If you cook healthy at home, a lot of times you can have the leftovers for lunch,” Monroe said.

Packing a nutritious lunch for children poses more of a challenge. Although many employers provide a refrigerator for employees’ sack lunches, most schools do not, Monroe said.

“You can do peanut butter and jelly, which would not require refrigeration,” she said.

Another option would be to buy insulated lunch boxes with built-in ice packs, she said.

The best option would be the school lunch, Monroe said. Public schools are required to follow nutritional guidelines with every meal.

Serving the right-sized portions is another key to healthy lunches. Monroe said many restaurants such serve lunches three times larger than a regular lunch while fast food establishments encourage people to “supersize.”

A handout that Monroe gives to patients shows a three-ounce cut of meat is the same size as a deck of cards; one ounce of cheese is as big as four dice stacked together; a half cup of ice cream or medium-sized fruit is as big as a tennis ball and an ounce of nuts should fit in a hand.

“For children in kindergarten or preschool, I’d just do half a sandwich because their stomachs are not as big,” she said.

People should check nutrition labels on such pre-packaged meals as Lunchables or frozen dinners.

“So many of them have a lot of fat and sodium,” Roe said, adding that people also should check nutrition labels on protein bars.

Monroe suggested planning and making the lunches the night before to avoid the morning rush.

Don’t forget healthy snacks, she said. Remembering to bring a healthy snack to work could ease the temptation to go to the vending machine, she said.

Reach Cathy Spaulding at (918) 684-2928 or cspaulding@muskogeephoenix.com.