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

September 2, 2007 12:35 am

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.

The five groups provide different nutrients: starches provide energy, fruits provide vitamin C and fiber, and vegetables provide a variety of vitamins, minerals and fiber. Calcium-rich foods for healthy bones include milk, cheese, yogurt and some green leafy vegetables and beans. Finally, protein-rich foods like eggs, fish, chicken, meats, beans and dairy products provide the building blocks of muscle and the immune system.

Many traditional meals naturally include all five tastes and five food groups, and could really spruce up an adult's lunch. (Read on, and see the sidebar, for my thoughts on adapting some of these lunches for kids.)

Some examples:

Try a classic Italian caprese sandwich of fresh whole-grain bread, farmers-market tomatoes, basil pesto sauce and mozzarella cheese. On the side, pack a ripe peach and a small Caesar salad.

Notice how this meal combines all five flavors and food groups: The bread is a sweet starch, the tomatoes are sour vegetables, the pesto is astringent, and the cheese is a sour source of protein and calcium. The lettuce is bitter, the dressing is pungent, and the peach is a sweet fruit.

Sip on a cup of tomato soup and munch on a grilled cheese sandwich spread with thinly sliced apples and mustard.

Try a whole-wheat pita sandwich with garlic hummus, cucumber, tomato and lettuce. Serve with a cup of plain yogurt and sliced juicy cantaloupe.

Make a curried chicken (or tuna or egg) salad sandwich with lettuce, sliced celery and grapes. Mix a quarter-cup of plain yogurt with a half-teaspoon of curry powder. Stir in the cooked, diced chicken, minced celery and halved grapes. Serve over lettuce on whole-grain bread. Eat an apple on the side.

Try hearty and delicious homemade Tuscan soup. It includes white beans, kale, garlic, onions and chopped tomatoes in a vegetable or chicken broth. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top before serving, and eat with a slice of whole-grain bread and an orange.

Children's tastes are governed mostly by two things: what they're familiar with and what their friends are eating.

In order to get children to try something new, mix it with something familiar, and eat it with them. So, try the curried chicken or caprese sandwiches at home first, maybe on a Saturday. Leave out the strongly flavored, unfamiliar ingredients the first time--they can try basil or curry or mustard later. Simply dress the sandwich with lettuce instead. Serve it with something they already like, such as applesauce or a chocolate-chip cookie.

If the Tuscan soup seems too unusual, try using a can of familiar chicken noodle soup and chop a bit of broccoli into it.

Keep in mind that in other countries, seasonings are normally eaten by everyone, even children. Your children can grow to like a variety of seasonings and meals, too, given several chances.

Jennifer Motl welcomes reader questions via her Web site, brighteating.com, or mailed to Nutrition, The Free Lance-Star, 616 Amelia St., Fredericksburg, Va. 22401.