(Radio Iowa) – A new state-by-state report on adult and childhood obesity will be released this week, and Iowa health officials are hoping to see improvement after a poor showing last year. Ellen Compton, a registered dietician with Gundersen Health, says Iowa parents who are packing their kids’ lunches can make eating healthy a priority.

“It just takes a little bit more prep work,” Compton says, “so making sure that you are preparing things like fruits and vegetables in advance and pre-packaging them into little Ziploc bags, having them available and ready, so that you can just grab that from the fridge, instead of something like a bag of chips.” Compton says the same goes for snacks, and rather than letting kids dive into a big bag of munchies, portion out their helpings in advance, and focus on healthy.

“Trail mix is a great one. It helps to keep kids feeling full, and sometimes can add a little sweet treat in there with some chocolate chips, and just making sure that you’re packaging them in appropriate portion sizes,” Compton says, “so typically, following the serving size on the back of the package is a good idea.” She encourages parents to send their kids off to school with a lunch that’s nutritious, and size-appropriate — not too much food, and not too little.

“Make sure that you have your fresh foods in there, like fruits and vegetables, kind of catering a little bit to what your kids like, so they’re more likely to eat what you pack them,” Compton says, “and making sure that there’s some sort of a protein in there. Protein is going to help to keep them feeling fuller for longer.”

Last year’s report from Trust for America’s Health found Iowa’s adult obesity rate held steady at 37-percent. Colorado had the nation’s lowest obesity rate at 25-percent, while West Virginia was highest at 41-percent.