'Nature's Lunchbox' carries message of healthy foods

For years the lunchroom at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum was just a beige box, a place with four blank walls where visitors could get a snack from the vending machines and families or school groups would eat their bagged lunches.

But after a year of work and $60,000, the room has gotten a makeover and been transformed into the new permanent "Nature's Lunchbox" exhibit, which teaches visitors about healthy eating and where food comes from.

"There's always been conversation about what to do with this box," said Deborah Lahey, museum president and CEO. "I think it's a natural extension. We help people become more informed about nature around them. That includes food."

Each of the four walls teaches something different about food with colorful displays that kids are welcome to interact with. The exhibit is sponsored by Dominick's, and one wall is dedicated to making healthy choices when planning meals and buying food. One section shows off different products found in grocery store aisles and encourages kids to decide on healthy options like carrot sticks and milk instead of chips and soda.

Lining up a rainbow of produce like red raspberries, green spinach and purple plums triggers a jackpot noise as the different colors represent the presence of specific vitamins recommended in a daily diet.

Kids can lift the lids off a set of pots to smell and see images of healthy dishes like asparagus and ginger stir-fry. Parents are encouraged to try new recipes and keep serving them. There's even a reminder that mentions kids often need to try a dish seven to 10 times before they like it. A recipe kiosk lets visitors look up lunch and dinner options and e-mail the recipes to themselves.

"As the children and their parents come through, they can look at how easy it is to make healthy meals," said Dominick's President Don Keprta. "Our customers are really trying to be healthy."

A garden display shows how to plant and care for different types of vegetables like tomatoes, eggplant and lettuce. A section on how to grow fresh herbs on a windowsill features scented plastic replicas so kids can lean in and get a whiff. Another wall is decorated with oversized produce divided by when they're in season with spring asparagus and zucchini and summer corn and tomatoes.

Plaques behind the vegetables can be pulled out to reveal cooking tips and fun facts. A wall tracing how food gets from the farm to the plate encourages consumers to try to buy local produce, since it reduces the environmental impact. Processed foods are also to be avoided since they usually have fewer vitamins and minerals and more sugar and fat.

Eating healthy and being mindful of waste starts right in the room. The vending machines have been overhauled. Less nutritious snacks and drinks have been replaced with baked chips, trail mix, juice and vitamin water. When families are done with lunch, they can sort out items between recycling, landfill waste and organic material that can be composted.

A placard describes how 29 percent of landfill waste could be composted, using worms and microbes to transform banana peels or apple cores into fresh dirt. Kids can turn a wheel with dirt and fruit and vegetables inside to help the microbes work faster, and visitors are encouraged to learn more about how to compost at home by checking out the museum's website.

lass="News"><b>Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum</b></p> <p class="factboxtext12col">Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum</p> <p class="factboxtext12col">2430 N. Cannon Drive, Chicago, (773) 755-5100, chias.org</p> <p class="factboxtext12col">Hours: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday</p> <p class="factboxtext12col">Admission: $9, $7 seniors and students, $6 kids ages 3 to 12; free Thursdays</p>