Story and photos by Borden Black
Among the new items on the menu: a variety of flavors of low fat milk, whole grain cereals including Kashi brand, whole wheat rolls and a change in ingredients in some lunchroom favorites.
Your child may not notice it, but the breakfast and lunch served in his public school cafeteria is better for him than in the past.
This school year, all schools participating in federal meal programs must follow a new U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) wellness policy. The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act requires schools to develop a policy for nutrition education, physical education and nutritional guidelines for all foods sold on campus, not just in the cafeteria.
Muscogee County School Nutrition Director Pat Schneider, says there won’t be a noticeable change this year since many of the nutritional goals had already been established and met. “We had already reduced sugar and fat under the old Health Improvement Program. We eliminated whole milk in 1979 and switched from seasoning with butter and fatback to using chicken and ham bases,” she says. The district had also lowered use of salt and sugar.
There will be some changes this year to continue the drive toward healthier children. Schneider points out that one in three children born in 2000 will develop type two diabetes, which is generally seen only in overweight adults. It is also predicted that this will be the first generation in which parents will outlive their children.
Among the new items on the menu: a variety of flavors of low fat milk, whole grain cereals including Kashi brand, whole wheat rolls and a change in ingredients in some lunchroom favorites.
Ice cream (the low-fat variety), schoolmade pizza (on wheat crust), cinnamon rolls and fried chicken will still be served. “You can’t do away with everything kids like,” Schneider reminds us. “If they are not going to eat, it’s not going to do them any good.”
She also points out that a healthy diet can include such items in moderation.
The new policy also includes items outside the cafeteria. The wellness policy adopted by the school board in June does not limit what can be brought in for class celebrations, but does encourage parents to bring in healthy choices.
What is sold in school vending machines is limited. The sale of foods with minimal nutritional value is banned and vending machines are not available for elementary students at all. In middle and high school, food and beverages outside the cafeteria are only allowed after the end of the last lunch period. Beverage machines can only vend low fat milk, 100% juice and sports drinks. Snack choices can have no more than 200 calories per portion.
Physical education is also a part of the new policy, but Schneider points out that no money is provided by the state for PE in elementary grades. The local policy calls for students to have “opportunities, support and encouragement to be physically active on a regular basis.” Programs like Kids InMotion, sponsored by the Columbus Sports Council, will start again in the fall and a new program for middle schoolers called “Live It” will provide pedometers to students in participating schools, along with presentations by famous athletes and incentives for participation.
A Muscogee County Schools student
enjoys a healthy breakfast before starting
his school day.
Phenix City schools have also instituted healthier offerings and the state went a step further. Last year Alabama stopped putting fryers in schools, and this year you will not see fried chicken on any of the Phenix City school menus. Child Nutrition Supervisor Penny Passmore points out that the newer schools did not start out with fryers, and in the older schools fryers are being replaced by new ovens.
Nutritionist Donna Woodworth says the cafeterias are already using lower fat recipes and foods like baked, instead of fried, chips. As in Muscogee County, low-fat milk and whole-grain products are in, while sugar and fat are out.
“I think it is a good idea to pull together and look at health and nutrition,” says Woodworth. “You have to start somewhere, but the school system can’t be the only answer to the problem. You can provide education and promote, but the responsibility still falls on the family.”
While it may be just a dream, Passmore says she would like to get the students to say, “I would prefer a salad or fruit cup,” when they go to a fast food outlet.
Passmore sums up their goal. “We need to provide a meal that children will eat that is nutritional.”
Private schools like Brookstone do not receive federal funding for meals and so do not have to implement the USDA policy. None-the-less, Brookstone headmaster Scott Wilson says they are very conscious of their students’ health.
Lunch is part of the tuition, and the cafeteria, run by contractor Sodexho, serves about 1,000 meals a day. “We are blessed to have the best food anywhere,” Wilson states proudly. “Every day we have a hot lunch and a minimum of two entrée offerings, fruit, vegetable, milk and juices.” In addition there is a salad bar, soup, baked potato and sandwich. For example, a recent menu included baked ziti with four cheeses, sliced roast beef, Italian blend veggies and au gratin potatoes.
Wilson says the students have so many choices that sometimes they elect the wrong things. “With the younger children we help them to sample veggies and fruits.” He says Sodexho, which has provided the meals for more than a decade, stays on top of and ahead of healthy eating trends.
Wilson said Brookstone does have vending machines, but they are only available during the school day to the upper grades. There is a soft drink machine, but other options like water and juice are also available.
Unlike in public schools, Brookstone requires physical education for students in grades K through 9. In addition, Wilson says more than 80 percent of the high school students are playing a sport. For those students not involved in competitive sports, there is an outdoors program with activities like biking and canoeing, and the back part of the campus is being developed for walking and biking.
“The whole issue of wellness is an important consideration in education,” Wilson notes. “There is a direct connection between how well students do and their nutrition and lifestyle.” He says they are starting a servant leadership program at Brookstone and have come to the conclusion that a healthy lifestyle is important in developing leaders.
Educational leaders all seem to agree that providing good nutrition is increasingly important in educating today’s youth.
