The Guiltiest Meal
When kids head to school, their food choices aren't completely out of parental control
When Bob Harper and Kim Lyons, trainers from NBC’s “The Biggest Loser,” visited high schools during the latest season’s series finale, they weren’t prepared for lunchtime.
Harper was shocked to find that the only vegetable served that day was tater tots. The lunch lady did tell Harper, however, that thanks to the school’s wellness program, the pizza was made with a whole-grain crust and turkey pepperoni.
The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 requires schools in the federal lunch program to have a local school wellness policy by the start of the 2006-2007 academic year.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, wellness policies need to include goals for nutrition education, nutrition guidelines, a plan to measure success and community involvement in developing the policy.
“The more active and informed the stakeholders are, the better the wellness policy,” says Joy Johanson, senior policy associate for the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
In a recent study conducted by Action for Healthy Kids, only 54 percent of 112 school districts in 42 states met the minimum requirements. “Parents and community members need to help schools implement and continually refine local wellness policies,” says Alicia Moag-Stahlberg, executive director of Action for Healthy Kids.
Johanson says some schools have written weak policies with no details where they are “almost not worth the paper it’s written on.”
Even with wellness policies, kids still are surrounded by tempting favorites and peer pressure.
Here’s how can you steer your child towards a healthier school lunch experience:
• Educate your kids about making good choices. Even explaining the differences between white milk and chocolate milk can be useful in the lunchroom.
• Packing your kids’ lunches is the best way to go. You can watch them make the lunch to see what they choose. Being involved in the process increases the likelihood the lunch gets eaten.
• Lyons demonstrated to the high schoolers the advantage of using snack bags to dish out smaller portions. Pre-packed snack bags of fruits, vegetables and nuts can supplement the lunch experience.
• Make sure your child gets a healthy, satisfying breakfast. The fast food choices at lunchtime might be more appealing if breakfast can’t last past 10 a.m.
• Ask for a copy of your school’s wellness policy. It’s very common that people don’t know there are wellness policies, says Johanson. “Many school districts are not actively soliciting input from parents.”
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