Hmmm. I'm almost afraid to ask this question. But, I'm bound to write an story on this one, so I need feedback... Communities are in an uproar about the foods which are being served to their children in school. The little research I've seen on the effects of childrens' health is unbelievable; arterial fat streaks, low learning, poor cognitive function.
Do you agree that schools choose to serve free "breakfasts" that consist of pop tarts
rather that a piece of fruit?
nprune

[ 02-13-2001: Message edited by: Nutritionpost ]

[cape chef]

This is a tough one...

A ten and six year old,
100 things all happining at once in the morning..It is something that certainly can get put on the second burner as far as a priority. The only meal that my wife and I let our girls have at school is fridays hot lunch. It is always pizza. But the rest of the week my wife or I prepare there lunches and snacks. We try to balance things as far as nutrition is concerned. Yogurt,fresh fruit,cut up veggies, they love turkey sandwiches on rye or mini rolls with a little mustard. Pretzels,goldfish,water,fruit juices etc.
Sliced chedder with crackers...But they do get a treat now and again
cc

Nutritionpost, the problem is not so much what they SERVE the kids at school but what they are not willing to eat. My kids are now grown but I remember well being the duty-mom for lunch. I was appalled! The meals were actually pretty balanced with salads and fresh fruit. In the trash! I couldn't even persuade the kids to try things they weren't familiar with or even save the orange for later or to take home. I can't vouch for hidden fats or low fibre, etc. in the meals but no amount of nutritional balance is going to work with kids who subsist on fries, burgers, chicken nuggets, etc. Children's taste is a product of the foods they are exposed to from infancy.
My solution was to send their lunch with them. Pasta or rice and beans or pizza without too much cheese or decent sandwiches or bagels or whatever they currently liked. I was lucky because my daughters are 6 years apart so I paid the older one (about 10 cents a day) to make her lunch and one for her sister. They got to take what they liked and were willing to eat; I could control to a pretty good degree what items they could choose among. Even then, the lunches often came home -- that was one of the rules so I would know if they ate it or not. Sometimes they weren't hungry which was OK and sometimes they had just gotten tired of something. I had them help prepare shopping lists so they could participate in lunch planning.
The real problem with school lunches starts at home. Most kids never see a variety of wholesome foods therefore they won't touch them with a stick. The USDA school lunch program can't change that, try though they may. I have no idea how to change that. There are lots of adults who are now just like that. A meal is fast food often eaten in the car. Portions are ludicrous -- way above what nutritionists call a "portion". No wonder we're all fat or fighting it. The new four basic food groups are fried, frozen, fat and fast.
Thanks for letting me vent. Wish I had a solution to save the world at lunchtime!

Here is my best advise, pack your kids lunch! What our kids are being fed in school is terrible. I worked with my sons pediatrician to write and article about how kids in our area are eating. I followed my neighbors son for 3 days to see what he ate. Usually he eats breakfast at home, but for just those days he ate at school. He had, a muffin, with an very greasy sausage patty, an egg and this usually healthy kid asked for bacon and extra cheese to be put on this muffin sandwich. A nice bowl of fruit was placed out for the kids, along with yogurt, but, in the absence of a mom's nagging, I am sorry to say not many of the kids walked off with very health selections! Lunch time was not much better, again my subject downed pizza, ice cream and a bag of chips! The only health choices I saw were canned string beans(yuck!!!) or that same bowl of fruit, which the teachers picked from! And of these teachers and lunch monitors, not one said anything to the kids having chocolate milk and chips for lunch. Not a word about health, not a word about the mound of hot lunches piling up in the trash, uneaten. The only up side I could see was that kids who brought lunch were eating it and it seemed that they were all eating somewhat healthy foods, with the exception of the few white bread/ Bologna sandwiches!
I also went to a local private school. They had a great system. Every kid brought lunch. No white bread was allowed and no premade snacks. So no bags of chips or those truly gross little fruit gummy snacky things that kids seem to like! A world of difference!

[ 02-13-2001: Message edited by: OneSockChef ]

[Mezzaluna]

I have experience with 26 years of school lunches (I taught) and believe me, they are mostly fat, salt and sugar- in that order. Typical menu in my last district: chicken nuggets; oven browned fries (sprayed with vegetable oil- still greasy) or tater tots-type potatoes; dead-looking green beans or, more often, corn; and greasy, sugary cookies for dessert. Salad greens were always available, and the kids did eat them- but not before drowning them in sugary dressings. Big bowls of dill pickle slices were put out, and for many kids, this was a side dish. A large salt shaker, ketchup and yellow mustard rounded out the condiments. Occasionally, carrot and celery sticks were put out, (with no serving utensil was provided) and was not much more than a vehicle for eating ranch dressing. White and chocolate milk were included, but the sugary chocolate was most likely to be selected. I could go on, but you get the picture. Not much surprise that Wisconsinites are just about the fattest Americans.

[Greg]

I onced worked with a cook whose other job is running a school kitchen. His story was the same; they eat what they want (usually the bad stuff) and throw away or pass up healthier foods. So, in order to maintain his food cost, he no longer does much scratch-cooking (they won't eat it if it's not a brand name they know) and has to limit serving the things he knows they will throw away.
If children are in school to be educated, why do we allow them to make choices in an area in which they have no knowledge? Also, they must be taught to apply that knowledge to their eating habits. Parents and schools have to find a way to work together on this; it's not a problem that can be solved by just one or the other. If it comes down to "eat your vegetables or you're going to detention", then so be it.

[nutcakes]

"Do you agree that schools choose to serve free "breakfasts" that consist of pop tarts
rather that a piece of fruit?"

What is the source of this quote. I think a pop tart and a fruit have a different nutritional composition. Although the pop tart obviously has too much sugar, I think I will be more filling and stave off hunger pangs better than a piece of fruit because it does compain some complex carbo's, so yes, I agree. Fruit is cheap and easy to have at home anyway.

I find that free anything would be pretty welcome. I also find that calories eaten are better nutritionally than calories not eaten. Any free food is good. There are numerous studies on breakfast an school performance you can refer to.

My daughter eats almost the same thing every day. Cold cereal and fruit. Turkey sandwich, fruit, cookies, cut up celery, carrot and cauliflower with ranch dressing for dipping. Sometimes leftover dinner goes in. Cold Chinese noodles are good.

Despite this dull breakfast she manages to get straight A's.

[ 02-14-2001: Message edited by: nutcakes ]

[m brown]

I am on the nutrition committee for our school district and let me tell you, hard job to run the nutrition end of things when the government has such a skewed view of what children should eat.
I have asked to have hormone free milk, less "beef" products, less high fat products, more fruit and veggies, more vegitarian meals, less gov'ment cheese food product and no more fruit juices containing no fruit juice.
A listing is to be made avalible to parents to peruse for ingredients of all products in the kitchen *allergies, religious, vegan etc*

it is really hard when the govrnment says it is okay to serve sugar water to cover carbo's, serve white bread and katsup is a veggie. deep fried cheese = protein????

Free breakfast can be darn good, cheerios and skim milk, fruit and calcium rich oj. yogurt, ww toast and jam with calcium rich juice. ww french toast, etc... can be done! MORE FIBER!
lighter meals, more of them!!!

My kids, 8 and 5 eat hot lunch 2 times a week. snacks must be healthy, no chewy fruit things or cookies, candy, chips etc..

Folks in USA are fat. myself included and we must stop eating processed food, fast food on a daily basis. walking to the store or school should be the norm, but thanks to suburban sprawl it is almost imposible to walk anywhere.

(lost 9 lbs just cutting out the packaged foods for 3 weeks and eating like a human, not a trash can.)

am i venting? YES>>> thanks for listening!

Onesock,
Where was this great private school?
Sounds like they know how to do it.

Nutritionpost

mbrown,
We need more of you! I for one support your efforts on the school board. Keep up the good work and know that you can make a difference. Have faith. Your words and actions will pay off.

Nutritionpost

[ 02-18-2001: Message edited by: Nutritionpost ]

Margaret,
Yes!!! You said it all. It's so refreshing to hear parents taking responsibility for their kids' nutritional habits. Food and nutrition DO begin at home.
Oh, don't get me started on the portion thing... what on earth is a triple burger?

The school is "Rockland Country Day School" in Rockland, N.Y. (about 30 minutes north of manhattan) They have a great approach to everything having to do with sending your kids off for 8 hours a day into the hands of strangers!!! I was very impressed with them and am thinking about sending my son there, but the yearly cost is about half what we pay a year on our mortgage, OUCH!!! So I guess I better get back to work!

[shroomgirl]

I've tried posting on this thread and my AOL keeps cutting my off....
Near and dear to my heart. I've seen schools that let children have water btls with lids at their desks.
The USDA had a grant going about 10 years ago where 3 different schools from different regions of the country followed healthier menus. They found that the kids ate whole wheat rolls if that was all that was offered with their meal.
I know there is fundage available for school systems to buy from farmers. I'd check with your state Ag dept and state school nutritionist to see how it can be arranged.Alice Waters has started school gardens and cooking in middle schools in the Berkley area, our season is April-Nov so not conducieve to this plan. I really hate the cop out of "we only will serve what they'll eat". Pizza Hut, Pepsi, Taco Bell.....all the chains are delivering to our schools, there are coke machines the schools make $ off of?????WHY IS THIS???? I trully am incredulous about how this mentality seeps into our kids learning environment. Isn't school supposed to see our whole child? Aren't they teaching Health? Where does Pizza Hut and Pepsi come in 5 days a week???
And what are those fortified doughnuts representing??
The last time I talked to someone in Berkly they said that there is a major kitchen overhaul going on in the schools and teaching staff to COOK again.....hope it spreads throughout the country.
Osteoparosis is showing up in alarming rates adn severaty amoung especially teen age girls drinking 6 sodas a day.

Rockland County Day School sounds like my kind of environment. I suppose quality is often expensive. Wow. But, it's great to know there's good schools.
NP

Shroo,
Guaranteed, all the "marketing" to kids is due in part by Channel One television.
Schools are selling out for money and funding for technologies. I'm glad to see I'm not the only angry one.
On a positive note, however,
GO, Alice Waters!!! That is a powerful person with morals.

Nutrtionpost, Np