Lunch from Home: Lunchables

By Ed Bruske

aka The Slow Cook

They say that the lunches kids bring from home are sometimes worse than the food served in the lunch line. And they are right.

Even in the relatively affluent neighborhood where my daughter's elementary school is located it's apparently okay to send your kid to school with Oscar Meyer Lunchables.

I hadn't realized there were so many varities of Lunchables. They number in the dozens. Owned by Kraft, the brand now advertises "wholesome" selections, such as turkey and cheddar sub with a bottle of spring water. But Kraft also considers its "Deep Dish Pepperoni Pizza" Lunchables as "wholesome." That one contains 26 grams of sugar--six teaspoons--as well as 880 milligrams of sodium, or 37 percent of adult's daily requirement.

Here's the list of ingredients:

INGREDIENTS: WATER - SPRING WATER. PIZZA CRUST - ENRICHED WHEAT FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2], FOLIC ACID), WATER, WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, YEAST, SOYBEAN OIL, SUGAR, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF WHEY (FROM MILK), VITAL WHEAT GLUTEN, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, SALT, SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, RICE BRAN EXTRACT, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, CALCIUM PROPIONATE AS A PRESERVATIVE, DRIED GARLIC, ALPHA CELLULOSE, PECTIN, CELLULOSE GUM, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, ENZYMES, L-CYSTEINE. CONTAINS: WHEAT, MILK. CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES - UNBLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2], FOLIC ACID), SEMISWEET CHOCOLATE CHIPS (SUGAR, CHOCOLATE, COCOA BUTTER, DEXTROSE, SOY LECITHIN - AN EMULSIFIER, MILK), PALM OIL, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, SUGAR, DEXTROSE, CORNSTARCH, SALT, BAKING SODA, MOLASSES, CARAMEL COLOR, ANNATTO EXTRACT (VEGETABLE COLOR), NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR. CONTAINS: WHEAT, SOY, MILK. PIZZA SAUCE - WATER, TOMATO PASTE, SUGAR, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, SALT, GARLIC POWDER, ONION POWDER, SPICE, CITRIC ACID, POTASSIUM SORBATE AS A PRESERVATIVE, XANTHAN GUM, NATURAL FLAVOR. REDUCED FAT MOZZARELLA AND REDUCED FAT CHEDDAR PASTEURIZED PREPARED CHEESE PRODUCTS - PASTEURIZED PART-SKIM MILK, WATER, MILKFAT, MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF SODIUM CITRATE, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, SALT, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, LACTIC ACID, SORBIC ACID AS A PRESERVATIVE, CHEESE CULTURE, OLEORESIN PAPRIKA (COLOR), ANNATTO (COLOR), VITAMIN A PALMITATE, ENZYMES WITH CELLULOSE POWDER TO PREVENT CAKING, AND NATAMYCIN (A NATURAL MOLD INHIBITOR). CONTAINS: MILK. CHEDDAR BAKED SNACK CRACKERS - ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2], FOLIC ACID), SOYBEAN OIL, CHEDDAR CHEESE (MADE FROM CULTURED MILK, SALT AND ENZYMES), PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED COTTONSEED OIL, SALT, AUTOLYZED YEAST EXTRACT, LEAVENING (BAKING SODA AND/OR YEAST), MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE (FLAVOR ENHANCER), ANNATTO EXTRACT (VEGETABLE COLOR), PAPRIKA, SODIUM CASEINATE, LACTIC AND ACETIC ACIDS, SPICES, MALTED BARLEY FLOUR. CONTAINS: WHEAT, MILK. PEPPERONI MADE WITH PORK, CHICKEN AND BEEF - BHA, BHT AND CITRIC ACID ADDED TO HELP PROTECT FLAVOR - PORK, MECHANICALLY SEPARATED CHICKEN, BEEF, SALT, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF PORK STOCK, SPICES, DEXTROSE, LACTIC ACID STARTER CULTURE, OLEORESIN OF PAPRIKA, FLAVORING, SODIUM ASCORBATE, SODIUM NITRITE, BHA, BHT, CITRIC ACID. TROPICAL PUNCH ARTIFICIAL FLAVORED SOFT DRINK MIX - SUGAR, FRUCTOSE, CITRIC ACID (PROVIDES TARTNESS), CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C), VITAMIN E ACETATE, CALCIUM PHOSPHATE (PREVENTS CAKING), ACESULFAME POTASSIUM AND SUCRALOSE (SWEETENERS), ARTIFICIAL COLOR, RED 40, BLUE 1, BHA (PRESERVES FRESHNESS).

The "Chicken Dunks" come with a whopping 73 grams of carbohydrates, including 32 grams of sugar, or eight teaspoons, the same as in a one-cup serving of Mountain Dew. And it's all processed: there's just only lonely little gram of fiber in the whole meal.

And guess what? Kids love it.