Spice up lunch with five varied flavors what to packcreate lunch of contrasts

WITH children heading back to school, many parents are wondering how to pack healthy lunches their kids will actually eat. And many adults are looking for ways to spice up their own mid-day meals as well.

The "rule of five" can help. With the rule of five, you can transform a brown-bag lunch from boring to delicious and nutritious. It means planning meals that include five tastes and five food groups. It sounds corny, but it adds up to a perfect 10.

Too many lunches feature only one type of flavor: for example, a sickeningly sweet combination of peanut butter and jelly, pudding and fruit. Another popular mistake is an overly salty combination, such as sliced salami and cheese, saltine crackers, and celery with ranch dressing.

Although the foods are tasty, both lunches may leave you thirsty and feeling like you're missing something, even though you're physically full.

Instead, make mouthwatering lunches by balancing five contrasting flavors: sweet, sour, bitter, pungent and astringent.

These flavor categories come from an ancient Indian health system called Ayurveda. I'm not an expert or proponent of Ayurvedic medicine, but the system of five flavors makes it easy to get a balanced variety of nutrients.

What foods have the five flavors?

The sweet category includes not just sugary items like cookies, but also some bland foods like bread, noodles, rice, sweet potatoes and even milk.

Sour foods include lemons, tomatoes, raspberries, mangoes, pickles, plain yogurt and many cheeses--lots of stuff kids like.

Bitter foods includes many mild favorites such as lettuce and other leafy greens. Lettuce is probably the bitter flavor kids are most likely to eat.

Pungent foods are strong-flavored and usually used as seasonings--along with things like mustard and garlic, these include radishes, horseradish and ginger.

Astringent foods include apples, lentils, parsley and basil.

Including foods with all five flavors ensures you will taste delicious contrasts. It usually also ensures a balance of the five food groups popular in American nutritional science: starches, fruit, vegetables, protein and milk or calcium-rich foods.

1 2 3 Next Page

THE NOT-SO- MISSING FLAVOR The Ayurvedic system actually includes a sixth flavor: salty. I've left this one out. Salt does enhance other flavors, but modern processed foods contain so much sodium that it is not necessary to seek out salty foods. In fact, we consume far more sodium than we need, so much that most Americans develop high blood pressure by the age of 55.

SWEET: This flavor category includes not just sugary items like cookies or fruit, but also some bland, carbohydrate-rich foods like bread, noodles, rice, sweet potatoes and even milk.

SOUR: Lemons, tomatoes, raspberries, mangoes, pickles, plain yogurt and many cheeses provide this flavor.

BITTER: This taste may sound bad but it includes many mild favorites such as lettuce and other leafy greens. Turmeric, the spice that turns curry powder golden, also is slightly bitter.

PUNGENT: These foods are strong-flavored and usually used as seasonings--things like mustard, garlic, onions, ginger, cayenne and chili peppers. Only a few of these may appeal to kids, until they get used to them.

ASTRINGENT: Foods with this flavor include ever-popular apples and pears, plus lentils, beans, okra and basil.

Date published: 9/2/2007

1. Be respectful. No personal attacks.
2. Please avoid offensive, vulgar, abusive, hateful or defamatory language.
3. Read and follow THE RULES.
4. We will block violaters and ban repeat offenders.

Breaking News - click here to have the latest delivered to your email box or cell phone