With the school year now under way, parents have a lot about which to be troubled. School clothes have to be tried on, supplies have to be bought and alarm clocks have to be set.

But does packing a healthy lunch for their children have to be yet another worry?

It is when the childhood obesity rate in America has risen to almost 30 percent. So what is a concerned parent to do?

“First and foremost, children’s lunches need to have adequate nutrition,” said Adele Berti, a registered dietitian at Mount St. Mary’s Hospital in Lewiston.

To do this, “Make sure that you have something from each food group in there,” said Allison Odachowski of Custom Dietetics in Amherst.

That includes a fruit such as grapes or 100 percent fruit juice; a vegetable such as carrot sticks or a tomato slice on a sandwich; a dairy such as yogurt or cheese on a sandwich; and a lean meat such as turkey, chicken or tuna.

Also important is the whole grain, Odachowski said. No longer are sandwiches on white bread acceptable, she said, due to their empty calories and lack of nutritional value.

She warned that when children are given too much sugar during lunchtime with soda, potato chips and candy bars, they get a sugar high and find it difficult to concentrate for the rest of the day. Junk food takes away energy, focus and concentration.

Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center nutritionist Karen Ostrum said hunger is a main cause for lack of concentration during the school day.

Making a sandwich every morning may seem tedious and time-consuming, so Ostrum encouraged parents to “try to switch things out.” One day’s lunch can be a sandwich, the next cheese and crackers. Another tip is to make five sandwiches Sunday night and freeze them to use for the rest of the week.

“Get your little assembly line going.,” Ostrum said.

If you’re stuck, check out the food pyramid at www.mypyramid.gov for suggestions. And although packing your children a healthy lunch may seem like just another chore, it actually is easy and worthwhile, especially when the children help.

As Berti said, “The child should be a part of the choice.”

Emily Stoner writes for the Niagara (N.Y.) Gazette