foodconsumer.org: School lunches to offer fresher, healthier choices

School lunches to offer fresher, healthier choices
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admin on 10/21/2009 00:48:00
 
By Eileen McGaurin
Answering the call of concerned parents nationwide, school meals are slated for
a health overall to include more fresh foods and less sodium and fat, according
to recommendations issued today by the Institute of Medicine.
Proposed changes include adding more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and
cutting calories in the meals that feed more than 30 million lunches and 10
million breakfasts to America's kids.
The USDA-sponsored study cited a need to revise the National School Lunch and
Breakfast programs that were set more than ten years ago to align them with the
Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
The IOM panel made eight recommendations that will focus more on meal
requirements than on nutrients alone, according to the Institute of Medicine
release.
Specifically vegetables servings should be increased to three-quarters of a cup
for kindergarten through eighth grade kids and one cup for kids in grades 9
through 12.
They also suggested meals should offer increased amounts of green leafy
vegetables, and other veggies such as carrots, sweet potatoes and summer squash
and beans.
Starchy foods such as potatoes should be decreased, and more fruits should be
offered at breakfast.
Long term goals set by the IOM study include decreasing the amount of sodium in
the school day diet over the course of the next 10 years.
While the typical high school lunch meal contains about 1,600 milligrams of
sodium, they hope to lower the amount to about 740 milligrams.
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine found in a 1996 study that
more than 36 percent of school lunches consisted of fat.
In a 2007 study of 22 of the nation's largest school districts, the committee
found that while 4 received grades of A, five received Fs and three D ratings.
While the committee said some schools were doing well in offering healthy meals,
"Too many others are failing, offering few, if any, healthful selections.
"Some schools have launched nutrition education programs to promote healthy
eating habits, but have not changed their menus accordingly," stated the study.