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The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 requires school lunch programs to serve healthier food: fewer calories and starches, more fruits and vegetables. At some high schools students have protested the changes using Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Do you think a healthier school lunch program is a lost cause or can school lunches be both healthy and tasty?
Of course school lunches can be both healthy and tasty! School lunches have always had to follow some standards, after all, it is federal money that pays for much of the school lunch program. Nutrition standards change, and pubic opinion regarding what is "good" food changes too. My local district just decided to put macaroni and cheese back on the menu due to popular demand. Now some would say mac and cheese is unhealthy; too much fat, too many carbs, etc, but if it can be worked into the standards and the kids like it, why not? A piece of fruit can always be included as a side.
We had our child in a Charter school for the first 6 weeks of this year.
Their cafeteria served this: in schools | revolution foods
It was quite the change! The portions are much smaller, and the ingredients foreign to some. Look at the food options on that link. Obama's wife had a good vision.
It didn't work so well. The school received many complaints. I saw so much food go to waste because the kids just didn't like it, and sad to say, the portions were just so small.
This same product is sold in our local grocery stores as well.
WE have since returned her back to the public school we started at after the first 6 weeks.
That school also improved their meals.
I was sad to see their SAlad and yogurt Bar day disappear. It was very good.
Guess the kids didn't think so. They replaced it with a vegetarian day.
Many items are being made with Whole wheat instead of enriched flour.
Tortillas, Pizza, buns, sandwiches. More salads are offered. Less Pizza and Hamburgers.
More Fish, Falafels, fruits, Proteins.
Less potatoes, processed cheese, greasy fries, cakes, cookies, chips.
The ice cream machines were taken out though. The kids had a hey-day with that!
"THANKS Michelle O."
"This was Michelle Obama's idea, bet her kids eat ice cream at lunch"
I volunteered a lot and heard these funny comments from children during lunch hours.
No doubt filtered down from their parents, and what they saw and heard on T.V. When this was a hot topic a year ago.
I make my children's lunches every day and since I'm at school often volunteering, I pop in and sit with them while they're having lunch.
It is rather shocking to see so many kids throwing away the cafeteria food. Twice I've let my kids eat the cafeteria food and they've eaten most of it (my kinders did complain that the salad dressing had no taste). My kids are foodies so the fact that they ate it means it can't be all that bad.
I really think a big part of the problem is what they learn to eat at HOME. I'm not saying that parents should provide their kids with gourmet, home-cooked meals but at least train them to eat healthy balanced meals! I have a friend who says "DD only eats crackers and cheese". Well...how did THAT happen? Another mom saw what my kids were eating and before I had even noticed what her son was eating, she defensively offered "he just likes to eat Nutella, cookies and fruit roll-ups". Ok. Well, it's no wonder I see him throwing away almost all the food on his tray when I see him.
I don't see how anything can change despite anyone's best efforts until kids are encouraged to try different foods and are presented with healthy options at home. JMHO
I make my children's lunches every day and since I'm at school often volunteering, I pop in and sit with them while they're having lunch.
It is rather shocking to see so many kids throwing away the cafeteria food. Twice I've let my kids eat the cafeteria food and they've eaten most of it (my kinders did complain that the salad dressing had no taste). My kids are foodies so the fact that they ate it means it can't be all that bad.
I really think a big part of the problem is what they learn to eat at HOME. I'm not saying that parents should provide their kids with gourmet, home-cooked meals but at least train them to eat healthy balanced meals! I have a friend who says "DD only eats crackers and cheese". Well...how did THAT happen? Another mom saw what my kids were eating and before I had even noticed what her son was eating, she defensively offered "he just likes to eat Nutella, cookies and fruit roll-ups". Ok. Well, it's no wonder I see him throwing away almost all the food on his tray when I see him.
I don't see how anything can change despite anyone's best efforts until kids are encouraged to try different foods and are presented with healthy options at home. JMHO
You have a good point, actually several good points, but if they have to be introduced to different foods at school, so be it. Something might "take". Kids sometimes come back from dinner at a friend's telling you about some wonderful food they had there that you had been trying to get them to eat at home for years! Older kids are sometimes more willing to try new things.
At the elementary school I used to work at, we had a standard school lunch PLUS a fruit and salad bar that kids were allowed to take from...and you'd be shocked how many of those kids would grab fruit and veggies to eat with their lunches. Our after school kids also had a garden and we grew a lot of interesting things: we had a salsa garden, we grew and roasted our on sunflower seeds, we planted some more "exotic" things like bok choy...kids are also very interested in eating things they've had a hand in growing and cooking, so we did both with them.
At the elementary school I used to work at, we had a standard school lunch PLUS a fruit and salad bar that kids were allowed to take from...and you'd be shocked how many of those kids would grab fruit and veggies to eat with their lunches. Our after school kids also had a garden and we grew a lot of interesting things: we had a salsa garden, we grew and roasted our on sunflower seeds, we planted some more "exotic" things like bok choy...kids are also very interested in eating things they've had a hand in growing and cooking, so we did both with them.
Wow that is interesting. I remember when I was in any school that was K-12 they had a salad here or there but a majority of the food was pizza, chips, pop, etc. Healthy options didn't really exist unless your parents made your lunch for you, even then I didn't get a fully healthy lunch.
The problem I see today is a lot of parents believe what they buy is healthy but it's really just clever marketing.
Wow that is interesting. I remember when I was in any school that was K-12 they had a salad here or there but a majority of the food was pizza, chips, pop, etc. Healthy options didn't really exist unless your parents made your lunch for you, even then I didn't get a fully healthy lunch.
The problem I see today is a lot of parents believe what they buy is healthy but it's really just clever marketing.
No school lunch would serve soda pop, probably not chips either unless they were some sort of "oven baked" thicker potato slices. Elementary schools usually don't have outside sales, just the school lunches and BYO.
I make my children's lunches every day and since I'm at school often volunteering, I pop in and sit with them while they're having lunch.
It is rather shocking to see so many kids throwing away the cafeteria food. Twice I've let my kids eat the cafeteria food and they've eaten most of it (my kinders did complain that the salad dressing had no taste). My kids are foodies so the fact that they ate it means it can't be all that bad.
I really think a big part of the problem is what they learn to eat at HOME. I'm not saying that parents should provide their kids with gourmet, home-cooked meals but at least train them to eat healthy balanced meals! I have a friend who says "DD only eats crackers and cheese". Well...how did THAT happen? Another mom saw what my kids were eating and before I had even noticed what her son was eating, she defensively offered "he just likes to eat Nutella, cookies and fruit roll-ups". Ok. Well, it's no wonder I see him throwing away almost all the food on his tray when I see him.
I don't see how anything can change despite anyone's best efforts until kids are encouraged to try different foods and are presented with healthy options at home. JMHO
This is interesting to me. My kids are very adventurous eaters with well-balanced diets, but they refuse to buy school lunch - apparently its flavor is limp, it's cold, and not appetizing or filling at all. So I'm not sure simply "picky eaters" is to blame in this case...
This teacher did a yearlong stint of eating the same school lunches the students were offered, took pictures and blogged about them. I wouldn't choose to eat many of these, either!
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