I see the point but I am not sure DC should have the last word on school menus.

100df

$2.50 a day here for high calorie foods. There's a hot lunch that's like chicken nuggets and fries with a canned veggie or corndogs, fries and canned veggie. I am critical of the canned veggies because the cafe workers do nothing to make them taste good. Pizza and burgers are available every day. There's an unappealing salad bar to meet the federal rules. It's unappealing because they don't freshen it until everything has gone over. It's a disgrace.

The public university my daughter goes to has a great food program. The cafe has their own calorie counting site. Everything that is served can be added to see how many calories you are eating. Lots of vegetables. In fact, they highlight a vegetable every week and cook it different ways. They also hold free cooking classes to teach how to create healthy, tasty meals on a small budget. There's the usual burgers and pizza but plenty of other lower calorie tasty choices. It's pricey but I think it's worth it. So much better than when I was in college.

lemurcat12

SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage wrote: »

School-provided lunches are an unfamiliar concept to me. Do students have the choice to bring their own lunch, or is it mandatory to partake in the school lunch program? What is the purpose of the school providing lunch?

Yes, they can bring their own lunches.

It's so the kid (well, the parent) can buy lunch or, much of the time and why the feds are involved, part of a subsidized meal program that also includes breakfast often. I live in a big city where the public schools are disproportionately low income, and it's a huge thing.

lemurcat12

Oh, and our breakfasts and lunches sound pretty similar. They do kid-friendly food so the kids will eat it, I assume. From the FAQ (of course it's self-serving):

CPS offers breakfast, lunch, after school snack, after school meals and snacks, and Saturday meals and snacks to all students during the school year. CPS also serves breakfast and lunch to students during the summer months.

Research shows that school meals often exceed the nutritional content of meals packed from home. Parents and guardians play a vital role in the development of students’ eating habits both in and out of school. Meals served as part of the CPS school meal program exceed USDA standards for school meals. A well-balanced and healthy diet will help students to be more alert and ready to learn.

The federal nutrition standards ensure students are offered both fruits and vegetables every day of the week; increase the availability of whole grain-rich foods; offer only fat-free or low-fat milk varieties; limit calories based on the age of children being served to ensure proper portion size; and reduce the amounts of saturated fat, trans fats and sodium. CPS school meals meet or exceed the federal standards.

While we encourage families to pack nutritious snacks and lunches for their children there is no board policy that requires home packed food to meet specific nutrition guidelines. There are guidelines for foods brought for classroom celebrations or foods to be shared with other students.

School menus are planned by a team of Registered Dietitians from both CPS and Aramark. Nutrition Support Services closely monitors student participation and feedback from parents and students to continuously improve menu options. The dietitians ensure that first and foremost all USDA and CPS nutrition guidelines are met. The new standards require schools include a daily fruit and vegetable. Vegetables are split into several subgroups (dark green, red/orange, beans/peas, starchy and other) to ensure that students get a variety of vegetables. For example, a meal needs to have at least ¾ cup of vegetables per day but limits starchy vegetables (like potatoes) to ½ cup a week. All grains served must be whole-grain rich, meaning they contain at least 50% whole grains.

100df

Here's a video about school lunch in Japan.
https://youtu.be/fcLjRSkqqnk
The kids work together to prepare the meal.

I would love to see something similar here. However, I don't see it happening in my school district. Too many parents would be outraged.

WinoGelato

To be honest I am less concerned about the nutritional value and taste of the meals offered at my kids school, and more concerned that the lunch period is not long enough to give them adequate time to consume their meal - brought from home or school provided! I used to think it was because of gabbiness of the kids but my husband and I have both attended lunch and it is not enough time for us to eat a complete meal, even without the distraction of wanting to socialize with little friends. My kids often bring home half their meal saying they didn't have time to finish.

lemurcat12

I'm still wondering where DancingDarl's information about all US school lunches came from, such that she knows they are all shocking and terrible, but in the meantime if anyone recalls that whole "school lunches around the world" thing, here's something kind of interesting that serves as a reality (including with respect to US lunches):

http://www.thelunchtray.com/why-im-fed-up-with-those-photos-of-school-lunches-around-the-world/

stevencloser

That poor Ukrainian.

French_Peasant

How awful that children are eating chicken nuggets and canned peaches. O the humanity. [clutches pearls and swoons].

It seems odd to get worked up over the canned plebian fare offered to little critters whose taste occasionally runs to boogers. "The canned vegetables are just not special enough!" Maybe the fed govt can just force all the schools to serve the menu that is served at Sidwell Friends, a particularly elite school in Washington DC that may or may not have some very famous students. It's amazing what $37,750 tuition ("includes hot lunch") will get you. Here's what they had today:

Chilled Strawberry Soup
Tuna & Pasta Salad
Baja Corn Salad
Shredded Chicken
Soft Tortillas
Spicy Mexican Beans
Broccoli
Texas Rice Casserole

Red Grapes

Here is what they will have tomorrow:

Calico Wild Rice Soup
BBQ Chopped Chicken Salad
Coleslaw
All Beef Hot Dogs
Brauts
Leanie Dogs
Roasted Acorn Squash
Baked Organic French Fries

Melon

And here is Friday:

Senegalese Soup
Rainbow Chopped Salad
Mamadou & Papas African Menu
Saludu Awooka ak Mango
(Avocado Mango Salad)
Senegalese Chicken Yassa
African Vegetable Dish
Sautéed Greens with African Spices
White Rice

Orange Wedges

*****

Although my children are offered an array of healthy fresh fruit and vegetables at lunch, I cringe to think of what goes into the trash when I am not there to make them sit at the table till they are finished (or to serve them--specifically--Granny Smith apples, peeled, side of Balsamic Vinegar, to the one and Honey Crisp apples to the other).

DorkothyParker

What I would love above all is for schools to be properly funded so they don't need to have big Coke or Pepsi contracts with machines all over the school to subsidize our kids' educations.

Also, especially in regards to kids on free/reduced cost lunch (of which I was one), if this is the only meal they are getting all day, and for some it might be, I hope it's well balanced. But, if a kid wants extra (portion issue), feed them!!!

lemurcat12

Ours don't have those anymore (state law, although they were out of local schools even before). AND, for unrelated reasons, the local schools are a financial basket case and our state funding both is so confusing that no one seems to understand it and routinely ranked as one of the least equitable in the country. Go us.

Anyway, interesting piece about a study on soda bans (ours bans more than soda, as I read it -- for drinks energy drinks and sports drinks too, but not 100% fruit juice or juice diluted with water): http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/07/soda-bans-in-schools-have-limited-benefit/

This part isn't particularly surprising:

The researchers found that the proportion of students who purchased sugary drinks at schools in states that removed only soda — 28.9 percent — was similar to the proportion in states that had no bans against any sugary drinks at all — 26 percent. Both groups also reported having identical levels of access to sugary beverages at school: about 67 percent in each category.

This is more disappointing, I suppose:

In states with policies banning all sugary drinks in schools, students had less access to them on campus, but their overall consumption of the drinks did not fall, suggesting they were getting the drinks elsewhere.

Akimajuktuq

Unfortunately what the government deems are "healthy" foods don't match with what I consider healthy foods for my family. My child is half Inuit and a grain based, fruit and vegetable (high carb) diet is not biologically appropriate and she has already suffered health problems because of it. I'm not Inuit and grains, fruit, vegetables are also detrimental to my health. Yes, I said vegetables. I can't tolerate them, and I'm not a special snowflake in that regard. Many people are suffering health problems from reactions to many plant foods but few ever actually figure it out. How can they with the current dietary advice that deems animal foods unhealthy, which humans have been eating for millennia (high mortalities were NOT caused by disease like we see today), and promotes consumption of insane amounts of insoluble fibre never before consumed in such a way by our ancestors.

When government and big business are in bed together, the advice can never be trusted. The most healthy foods for my family are the most demonized so I expect the government to stay out of my food choices. Period.

DorkothyParker

I really don't agree with public schools telling parents what they can or can't pack, however.
Ok, maybe the peanut allergy thing. But otherwise, it's a bit invasive.

zoeysasha37

DancingDarl wrote: »

I was shocked when i saw what kids in america eat at lunch. Just terrible. There needs to be some big changes for the children.

DancingDarl wrote: »

I was shocked when i saw what kids in america eat at lunch. Just terrible. There needs to be some big changes for the children.

Since your not in the USA, have you ever first hand saw school lunches ? You say your not from the USA but now say you saw what kids eat here ? Are you talking about what you may have read or did you really see it ?
Well I have for many years . my son goes to a public school. They have 3 choices per day to pick from. A list is sent home weekly and the parents circle which meals their kids would like to have.
Here's a sample of today's lunch menu-
Option 1 -
Garden salad with choice of lite Italian or ranch dressing.

Baked Chicken 100% breastmeat strips

Celery and carrot dippers

Milk or water

Option 2-

Turkey breast on whole wheat bread served with lettuce tomato and onion on the side. Mayo packet optional.

Apple slices

Green bean and corn medley

Milk or water

Option 3-

Veggie burger party served on whole wheat bread with lettuce tomato and onion on the side.
Mayo packet optional.

Cesar salad with croutons

Orange or apple slices

Milk or water


So maybe before you make generalized statements , do your research and don't believe that every American school serves poor food choices.

Qskim

Quite honestly I find the whole comparison thing pointless considering Australia is hot on the heels of the US with the rise of obesity. School lunches and portion sizes aside we are fast catching up.

zoeysasha37

Here's a sample of the breakfast menu ( my child eats breakfast at home . but there are many kids who do not have enough food at home to eat breakfast there so they must eat at school. These children receive free meals or reduced cost meals. Reduced cost meals are 30cents . the kids may pick 3 items from the breakfast list )

Apple slices

Milk or water

Scrambled eggs or hard boiled eggs

Plain yogurt

Avocado slices

Wheat bread toasted with turkey bacon and egg sandwich

Banana

Oatmeal cup


So once again , please explain how anything on this list is a poor food choice ?

Qskim

lemurcat12 wrote: »

I'm still wondering where DancingDarl's information about all US school lunches came from, such that she knows they are all shocking and terrible, but in the meantime if anyone recalls that whole "school lunches around the world" thing, here's something kind of interesting that serves as a reality (including with respect to US lunches):

http://www.thelunchtray.com/why-im-fed-up-with-those-photos-of-school-lunches-around-the-world/

Jamie Oliver probably.

antiacus

Monsanto (and their girl HIllary) dissaprove of this topic.

zoeysasha37

Here's a sampling of Fridays specials , for all those people who have so many opinions of American school lunches ( but have never actually saw one first hand )

Get ready for it...this is the special meal of the week .....oh the filth....;)

Brown rice and black beans on a spinach tortilla wrap

Avocado slices

Garden salad with choice of oil and vinegar or lite ranch

Milk or water


Option 2

Grilled chicken breast 100% breastmeat salad ( iceberg lettuce , shredded carot , diced celery , chopped cucumber)

Orange or apple slices

Mixed veggie dippers with lite ranch optional

Milk or water


Option 3

Baked tilapia

Garden salad with choice of oil and vinegar or lite ranch

Orange or apple slices

Milk or water




Oh wow........nothing wrong with any of those ... so before you speak about how terrible something is, it might be a good idea to actually know what's being served