Calories in School Lunches?

ilikepandasyay

I'm a 27 year old female who is now in a job in a school where we are given free school breakfast and lunch, which is great, because we really need the money savings that this provides. The breakfasts are pretty standard and easy to track (half a whole wheat bagel, 1 tbsp cream cheese, or 6 oz low fat yogurt, 1/4 cup plain oatmeal topping, etc.) but I find the lunches harder because they have more ingredients. The menus tend towards whole wheats, lean meats, low-fat dairy, one or two veggies and a serving of fruit.

According to NYS law school lunches have 750 calories min-850 calories max. Should I just assume they're all 850 (or 900 to be safe?) and go on with my day? Should I just eat more of the veggies and half of the "main course" in order to "save" calories? If I eat the whole lunch and breakfast, I'd have maybe 200-300 calories for dinner depending on the day...

I just feel like this is really going to trip me up in terms of tracking, especially if I don't eat the whole plate...


What would you all suggest in my position?

leeshults

First of all "yay free food"......but that is a lot of calories at lunch.

I would suggest eating half of everything maybe so you could have more at dinner. 200-300 at night is not much......

Just my opinion.....

rduhlir

If you aren't 100% sure on it, but they give a calorie range then just top it out at the 850, or continue to bring your own food.

cuinboston2014

Can you get access to the nutritional data if you are an employee there? Could be a pain in the butt but could be helpful. I nerd out over that kind of stuff, too, and I know it would be a lot of work to figure out even if you could get it.

Otherwise I'd probably eat half and fill up on mostly veggies.

adiostrasero

Ah, school lunches. I ate them frequently when I was teaching. If they are using lean meats, whole wheat, etc. good for them! The ones at my school were crazy unhealthy (and not usually tasty, either.)

I would first see if you could get actual nutritional info from the school district. If they're truly using "healthy" ingredients then 750 seems like a stretch. Sometimes I remember from my school that students had to take certain elements of the lunch even if they told the cafeteria workers they weren't going to eat it. It was to fulfill the minimum caloric requirement. Maybe there are some random side dishes in there that are boosting that 750 number that you could easily cut out.

Failing that, I'd say eating more veggies and halving the main course is a smart move if the meals truly are 750.

Good luck!

livingleanlivingclean

750/850 cals sounds a lot for something that sounds low fat...why is it low fat?!?

I'd probably eat the meat and vegies, leave the bread and dairy (low fat doesn't mean low sugar, it's probably packed with the stuff)

ilikepandasyay

If they're truly using "healthy" ingredients then 750 seems like a stretch. Sometimes I remember from my school that students had to take certain elements of the lunch even if they told the cafeteria workers they weren't going to eat it. It was to fulfill the minimum caloric requirement. Maybe there are some random side dishes in there that are boosting that 750 number that you could easily cut out.

I'm wondering if the milk is automatically included in the calories? If so, that's a 110 cal savings I have right there because I drink water instead.

ellantz8

I know that my daughters school has all nutritional information on the school district website. I would assume that most public schools do the same. I actually contacted the nutritionist for her district before I went to a special luncheon at her school that had items that were not on the regular school menu and she was able to give me the exact nutritional information on those items as well. If not publicly posted though schools are still required to provide certain nutritional information to your state so they have all of this information on file and can access it upon request. I would contact whomever is in charge a nutritional services for your school district. And honestly some of the things I needed to log were already in the MFP database. Accuracy is important in this weightloss/nutrition game. I would dig for the details! Good luck!

adiostrasero

Ooh, I just thought of something else, too. At one school where I taught, kids could request vegetarian meals. They were actually kind of disgusting, but ...

It wasn't something the cafeteria advertised, but if you talked to the workers, they might be able to hook you up with some sort of a special lunch that isn't so high in calories.

Good point about the milk. Although I love milk so I always drank mine. It goes GREAT with mini corndogs and mashed potatoes. Lol!

Ke11er

Check with your school nurse. She has the ingredient and nutrition info handy for every item the district food service offers (so that she can help the students who are allergic, diabetic etc. manage their medical needs) and I expect would be happy to share. Most likely she'll just direct you to the link on the school website (where parents can access too). In fact she may be a great support for you on this journey. She has a scale and could be an accountability partner for weigh-ins. She might be willing to coordinate playful things (ex. mini-Biggest Loser competition) for the staff. Does your school district have a wellness program? That could prove to be a great resource too. As far as managing the food...I agree with the others, that big lunch would likely leave you feeling overly full and it doesn't leave many calories for your evening meal, so maybe just reserve part of your calorie dense lunch and use for snacks later (piece of fruit etc.) so you aren't living feast and famine every day/evening? Good luck :-)

ilikepandasyay

I'm in a Charter school, not a district school, so things run a bit differently, our nurse would definitely not have the info, our head chef and sous chef would have ingredient lists but I'm not sure about the calorie counts... I could definitely reach out to our food partner though. (We partner with a special company to provide better than average school lunches, we do not use DOE lunch services.)



Thanks guys!

ilikepandasyay

I agree with the others, that big lunch would likely leave you feeling overly full and it doesn't leave many calories for your evening meal, so maybe just reserve part of your calorie dense lunch and use for snacks later (piece of fruit etc.) so you aren't living feast and famine every day/evening? Good luck :-)

My lunch always feels way too small, I'm hungry at like 4pm

mistress8956

Lol I happen to work in a high school cafateria idk about your school but what the county I work for does is any/ all food nutrition information is on the county web sight under the food and nutrition section. Hope that helps!

ilikepandasyay

Lol I happen to work in a high school cafateria idk about your school but what the county I work for does is any/ all food nutrition information is on the county web sight under the food and nutrition section. Hope that helps!

Since we're not district I don't have that option. Our school doesn't have the calorie info readily available on the website or on our operations area, that I can see, and neither does our food partner.

mistress8956

Maybe ask around? I would assume that they have to answer to someone regarding the nutritional value. And an FYI the cook has a book in her kitchen that says what servings size to serve to make a compleat lunch and include all the components. It doesn't have a calorie count...BUT it would help towards figuring out calories/portion

septembergrrl

Is there any reason you can't bring a meal? Free food is awesome, but school lunches (as I know you know) are designed to a)be cheap for the state and b) fill up kids who may not get much to eat at home. Neither of those things is exactly diet-friendly.

If you really need to eat what the school gives you, I think your first thought of eating half of it is probably the best idea. Or ask for a vegetarian meal.

xoeva

A good rule of thumb is that half your plate should be vegetables... and remember to be able to see your plate - so not to stuff it so much (like a typical Thanksgiving plate) that you can't see the colour of the plate...also cut barbs and perhaps even protein to half of what a typical portion is... .this is what I do... good luck!

Haskin_Fuzernick

Our district meals have similar calorie requirements,so it's easy to track that part, but make sure you look at things like sodium. Our food is CHEAP and very low in nutrients.A ream of paper is very low calorie, high fiber, and is filling, but I wouldn't recommend eating it. The school lunches are also very bland, so they jack up the salt. Kids like salt too, and are used to it. That single meal for us averages 1.5x what I want to consume in an entire day.

You could likely bring something in the neighborhood of $2-3 that would be healthier than what you get at school. Sad, but true. That's probably what I'd do.

feelin_gr_8

I am all about the free meals! (With my husband being in school and me only working part time...yeah...) I hear ya there! My recommendation-assume it's always the high (850), and if you want to cut down then avoid the sugary/carb laden parts, focus on the veggies. I don't see a problem with putting more carbs during the day, I liked it when I lived in Poland and they ate the biggest meal at lunch-it makes sense-because you need those calories/that energy during the day, not before you go to bed. If you're still hungry, or trying to cut down on the calories and avoid some of the more calorific stuff, take a container of veggies to snack on-the fiber will fill you up and you'll save on calories (and some great nutrients to power that body!)

livingleanlivingclean

I agree with the others, that big lunch would likely leave you feeling overly full and it doesn't leave many calories for your evening meal, so maybe just reserve part of your calorie dense lunch and use for snacks later (piece of fruit etc.) so you aren't living feast and famine every day/evening? Good luck :-)

My lunch always feels way too small, I'm hungry at like 4pm

It's likely not satisfying you for long because there's a lot of carbs, not much fat and protein (assuming, considering you mentioned low fat dairy).

It may not cost you money, but that doesn't mean it's free. If it's not going to help you achieve your goal, it's not free. I'd rather take my own meal, know what I was eating, and know that every day I'm one step closer to reaching my goal.