(NAPSA)—Brown bags are poised to become the hottest must-have accessory, with adult consumerscarrying morethan 8.5 billion brown bag lunches this year, according to the NPD Group. : To encourage even | more parents to pack a healthy, affordable ‘| and satisfying lunch for themselves and their families, the ' Grain Foods Founda4 “ tion has teamed up with Kate Gosselin of TLC’s “Jon & Kate Plus Eight.” “Managing expenses is a prior- ity not just in my family but with many others across the country right now,” said Gosselin. “Making sandwiches and packing healthy lunches is a relatively easy way to save money and manage your diet.” Variety is the “slice”oflife. Spice up yourlunch life and try a new variety of bread. Toastit. Manyoffice kitchensor lunchrooms have a toaster oven—you can make your own homemadepanini. Madewith love. Packing a healthy delicious lunch for yourkidsis a way to show your love.Include a note or use cookie cutters fo transform yourchild’s sandwich into a work of art—oreveninto their initials. BYOS—Bring your own sandwich and share.This is part potluck, part tea party. One day a week, have everyonebring in a favorite sandwich. Cut each sandwich into tiny squares and pass them around. Even hetter the second time.Save time and money with leftovers for lunch. Tic-tac dough. Mix up the bread in your sandwiches. Use slice of whole wheatand a slice of enriched white; cut the sandwichesinto quarters,flip two of the quarters over to make a checkerboard. It’s OK to judge a bag byits cover. There are a host ofinsulated, environmentally friendly lunch bag optionsin fashion-friendly colors and designs. Forthe traditional brown bag, add ribbons, nametags or drawings. are more likely (71 percent) than those without children (59 percent) to pack a lunch, according to a recent Harris Interactive survey Brown bagging can save hundreds—even thousands—of dollars per year, a top concern for many families. In fact, women with school-age children at home conducted on behalf of the Grain Foods Foundation. While many parents look to the brown bag lunchto trim their families’ expenses, they may also see the added benefit of slimmer waistlines. In general, brown bag lunches tend to be smaller in portion size and lower in calories. Nearly 40 percent of U.S. women cited nutrition as a reason for packing a lunch. Asfor what’s going into those brown bags—sandwiches are the No. 1 choice across the board. “Grains are an ideal choice at lunch since they provide muchneeded energy and sustenance to @ > make it through the day,” explained Judi Adams, MS, RD and president of the Grain Foods Foundation. “Plus grain foods such as sandwiches, pretzels, crackers and granola bars are convenient, delicious and portable, making them brown-bagfriendly.” To demonstrate just what kind of effect parents might see on their wallets and their waistlines, the Grain Foods Foundation has created an online savings tool for consumers to track the financial and caloric savings of packing a lunch. By visiting grainpower.org, consumers can calculate their savings, download coupons, get delicious sandwich recipes and register to win a year’s worth of free groceries.
