Deciding between the Spider-Man, Batman or the Incredible Hulk lunchbox was a chore. But figur­ing out what snacks to put in that lunchbox can be a trial.

Will they eat what you pack?

Hey, Twinkies and Ding Dongs don’t count. We’re talking tasty and nutritious, the kind of tasty and nutritious that kids hopefully won’t turn their noses up at or trade to another kid. To help you out, we sought advice from Jessica Hagey, dietitian with Heartland Wellness Connec­tion, and Linda Funk with the Soyfoods Council.

When it comes to healthy, you need to think bal­anced, Ms. Hagey says.

“If you make it a little more balanced, it stays with the child longer,” she says.

Try for a balance of protein, fruits and vegetables and grains. Peanut butter and sting cheese are op­tions for protein. Fruit should be a no-brainer (to keep fruit like bananas and apples from turning brown, dip them in a little bit of orange or lemon juice, Ms. Hagey says). Veggies can include raw car­rot and celery sticks. Pretzels and graham crackers for the grains.

If you want your child to actually eat their veg­etables, “give them something to dunk them in,” Ms. Hagey says.

A little Ranch dressing, peanut butter, pudding or yogurt.

Kids get bored easily, so dress up their snacks with a little creativity. Pack some pretzel skewers. Slide pieces of cheese and fruit onto pretzel sticks. Use your imagination.

“You can even let them help make them,” Ms. Hagey says.

Create a banana dog with tortilla, peanut butter and a banana.

On the Whole Foods Market Web site, www.whole­foodmarket. com, there are easy to use charts that give snack alternatives to popular foods. For example, instead of regular potato chips, which often are fried and high in sodium, Whole Foods recommends pret­zels, baked chips or mini rice or popcorn cakes.

The Internet offers a wealth of snack ideas for parents. Kraft.com even has a whole section devoted to kid-tested recipes.

But to really inject healthy benefits into the lunch­box snack, add soy, Ms. Funk says. Soy, she adds, is full of protein.

Just don’t tell your child that you added soy to their snacks.

“They will wrinkle their nose and not eat it,” Ms. Funk says.

Slip in some soynuts, which come in a variety of flavors, including chocolate. Soy chips are an alterna­tive to potato chips. There are soy granola bars and soy cereal which can be slipped into a lunchbox.

For a sweet attack, whip up a batch for Henry Ford Chocolate Chip Soynut cookies.

“If you have these healthy things at home, kids will eat them,” Ms. Funk says. “If you start them early, they will eat it.”

While it may be easier to reach for the Twinkies or the potato chips, with a little planning and imagi­nation, you can pack nutritious and tasty treats in your child’s lunchbox.

Lifestyles reporter Cathy Woolridge can be reached at cathyw@npgco.com