Ed. note: Originally published in the USDA The School Day Just Got Healthier' Tooklkit for Parents.

Ed. note: 10 Tips for Healthy Meals was originally published in the USDA ‘The School Day Just Got Healthier’ Toolkit for Parents.

School is back in session, and it’s time to start packing those lunches again! A healthy meal starts with more vegetables and fruits, and smaller portions of protein and grains. Have your child help pack lunch with you so they can learn how to make a healthy, balanced meal. Show them how healthy food can be delicious, too, and encourage them to try new foods. Here are 10 tips to packing a healthy lunch for school:

Everywhere I turned, I saw the great problem of childhood obesity. Things had changed over the short time from my childhood. Today's children were not getting the physical activity or food they needed. I was going to change that with the use of my Girl Scouts Gold Award. I was inspired by First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let's Move! initiative and by my younger cousin DJ, who is obese. I have a great love of sports and knew there had to be something to tie healthy living together with sports. Then the idea was born.

Ed note: Last week, First Lady Michelle Obama was the guest editor for the iVillage website. She worked with the editors there to create a weeklong series of great articles and videos with advice for families looking to Rev Up their Back to School Routine and introduce healthy new habits for everyone in the household. The editors of iVillage asked readers to share their own strategies for making changes stick in their families.

Before you can cook for your family, you need to know how to grocery shop for foods you’ll use. From how to make a list to making healthy choices, consider this your go–to cheat sheet.