BATON ROUGE — If you have been struggling as a parent to figure out the school lunch you send with your child each day, you have plenty of company.

Experts say there are a few simple guidelines to keep in mind.

“A couple tips. One is kind of thinks about it by food groups and breaks down what you're going to have in that lunch, right? So, we want to have a grain, we want to have a protein, we want to have a fruit and a veggie. We want to have a healthy fat, and or a dairy product, if possible,” Registered Dietitian, Jennifer Hyland said.

It can also help to get your kids involved. Let them decide what they want from each food group.

For example, they pick turkey as their protein and an apple as their fruit.

The lunches don't need to be complicated; you could pack a sandwich, wrap or pasta salad.

You could even give them leftovers from dinner the night before.

Snacky lunches are not recommended, specifically foods that come from packages – like chips and crackers. They will not be filling or nutritious.

The same goes for sugary drinks.

“Kids, especially the younger kids who they're just starting out for the first time having this full day at school, right, it's a lot on them. So, we need to make sure that we're giving them those nutrients to help fuel them through the day. So again, we need protein, healthy fats, they need calcium. We want to make sure that they are getting energy, they're getting calories,” Hyland said.

A weekly check-in with your child is suggested, see what foods they enjoyed and what they ended up throwing away.

Finally, make sure whatever you pack is easy to eat and open since there is usually not a lot of time for lunch.