More and More Students Protesting About School Lunches!

It seems that kids are getting louder about getting their message across that they are not happy with the new foods in the schools.

First it’s videos on you tube, now it’s boycotts from school cafeterias and more and more food being thrown out in the trash.

Of course, kids are going to be resistant to change.  But, parents and teachers can help this process along. We need to keep talking to

our kids about making good choices and being healthy.

Click here to read article from the New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/06/nyregion/healthier-school-lunches-face-student-rejection.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0&ref=nutrition

“We Are Hungry!” Students Have Their Own Music Video On You Tube!

Students and teachers from a school in Kansas City are trying to get their voices heard!

They created a you tube music video called “We Are Hungry” speaking out about the new changes made in the school cafeterias.

Click here to see the video you tube!!

The point is that the calorie requirements are too restrictive! Kids are going out or bringing in extra snacks which is defeating the purpose of encouraging healthier eating. Too little calories at lunch is also leaving students hungry in the classroom. This will affect learning as well as their performance in after school activities.

The music video was a creative way to get their point across. We have heard lots of feedback about kids not liking the healthy food that is being offered. That’s something that will improve as more foods become available to schools that meet the new USDA guidelines. But, kids being hungry because the calories levels are too strict is a different story.

The republican party has just proposed  the “No Hungry Kids Act.” The “No Hungry Kids Act” repeals the USDA rule that created the new standards, prohibits the USDA’s upper caloric limits, and will protect rights of parents to send their children to school with the foods of their choice.

http://steveking.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4465:king-introduces-qno-hungry-kids-actq&catid=71:press-releases&Itemid=300164

We told you last week about the The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, the new USDA guidelines that have been implemented in the schools this year…

These new standards require schools to serve more fruits and vegetables (including beans, dark green and orange vegetables every week), switch to whole grains, serve only low-fat or no-fat milk, and limit the sodium and calories in each meal.

School meals must meet these new requirements starting in the 2012-2013 school year.  In addition to the foods that the schools must offer to students, the new requirements state what the student must take in order for that lunch to be considered a student meal.

Over the last few weeks, there has been lots of feedback.

Students are complaining that they are hungry!

There are calorie restrictions that the schools are required to enforce.

Grades K-5: 550 to 650 per day

Grades 6-8: 600 to 700 per day

Grades 9-12: 750 to 850 per day

Calories can be averaged over the course of a weeks time

Here are the food guidelines by grade…

Grains:

Grades K-5: 8 to 9 servings per week

Grades 6-8: 8 to 10 servings per week

Grades 9-12: 10 to 12 servings per week

Students should have at least one serving of grains each day, and one-half of offerings must be rich in whole grain.

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Meats/Meat alternatives:

Grades K-5: 8 to 10 ounces per week

Grades 6-8: 9 to 10 ounces per week

Grades 9-12: 10 to 12 ounces per week

Nuts, tofu, cheese and eggs can be substituted for meat in some cases.

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Milk:

Grades K-12: 1 cup per day

Fat-free, low-fat and lactose-free milk options are allowable.

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Fruits:

Grades K-8: One-half cup per day

Grades 9-12: One cup per day

Only half of the weekly fruit requirement can come from juice.

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Vegetables:

Grades K-8: Three-quarters cup per day

Grades 9-12: One cup per day

Weekly requirements for vegetable subgroups, including dark green, red/orange, beans/peas, starchy and others.

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Sodium:

By July 2014, sodium levels for lunches should not exceed:

Grades K-5: 640 milligrams

Grades 6-8: 710 milligrams

Grades 9-12: 740 milligrams

A timetable sets targets for further reducing sodium levels by 2022.

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Fats:

No more than 10 percent saturated fats. No trans-fat, except for those naturally occurring in meat and dairy products.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/usda-pushes-calorie-sodium-limits-for-school-lunches-with-new-guidelines-see-them-here/

Buying School Lunch… How does it work?

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, championed by First Lady Michelle Obama, is changing the School Lunch Program.  The requirements will raise standards for the first time in more than fifteen years and will result in healthier meals for kids that participate in school meal programs across the nation.  These new standards require schools to serve more fruits and vegetables (including beans, dark green and orange vegetables every week), switch to whole grains, serve only low-fat or no-fat milk, and limit the sodium and calories in each meal.

School meals must meet these new requirements starting in the 2012-2013 school year.  In addition to the foods that the schools must offer to students, the new requirements state what the student must take in order for that lunch to be considered a student meal.

What is a student meal?

A complete student meal has 5 components or food groups – Bread, Protein, Fruits, Vegetables and Milk. The student may select 1 item from each food group, but the student must take at least 3 different food groups to make a meal that is charged the student lunch price, which is a reimbursable meal.  A ‘reimbursable’ meal means that the meal selected meets all the requirements of the National School Lunch Program.  In meeting these requirements, each school district receives federal and state funding to offset food service expenses.  Because of this funding, we are able to keep student lunch prices reasonably low.

How is the student meal different under the new law?

As mentioned above, school must offer a variety of fruits, vegetables and whole grains every day.  Starting in the 2012-2013 school year, one of the food groups on the student’s lunch tray must be fruits or vegetables in order to qualify for the student lunch price.  If a student does not select fruits or vegetables along with the other required food groups, then that meal would not be considered a student meal and the student would be charged the a la carte pricing. A la carte pricing can be more expensive because each item is charged separately rather than as a meal which consists of 5 different food groups.

Parents, go over the school menu with your children so they understand what makes a complete meal. Teach your kids!!

For more information please click here:  USDA