If you need ideas to make your children's lunches or snacks as healthy as possible, check out these tips provided by Ann Kulze, a Charleston wellness expert. Kulze suggests that a child's lunch should always include protein, at least one piece of produce, a calcium-rich food and something fun:

- For protein, consider sandwiches made with deli ham, turkey, chicken or roast beef; egg salad made with omega-3 eggs; tuna salad; and peanut butter or other nut butters with spreadable fruit, instead of jelly. Remember to use whole-grain breads, tortillas, bagels, pitas or English muffins.

- For produce, the deeper the color, the more health power the produce has. Consider baby carrots, celery sticks, sweet bell-pepper strips, cherry tomatoes and broccoli florets. Dips such as hummus or a low-fat salad dressing are good companions. And in the fruit category, berries, cherries, plums, mangoes, kiwi, apples, cantaloupes and red grapes are especially beneficial. Cut into bite-size pieces and squirt with a bit of lemon juice to keep fresh.

In the calcium category, try low-fat varieties of cheese and yogurt, 2 percent or skim milk, calcium-fortified soy milk or calcium-fortified 100 percent orange juice.

- For fun foods, try a small piece of dark chocolate, a small bag of trail mix, a granola bar, a small box of raisins or other dried fruit, a container of a favorite cereal or a small bag of Goldfish. Another way to add fun is to use interesting containers or to present in intriguing ways such as fruit kabobs or wraps.

For more tips, go to healthysc.gov.