School Lunch Nutrition: What You Need to Know
School Lunch Nutrition | Foodfacts.com
For some families, lunchboxes might as well be relics from the past. Why bother with packing the kids’ lunch when they can get a perfectly healthy meal at school? But, you may surprised by what you don’t know about our national school lunch program.
Foodfacts.com learned that the school lunch service as we know it began in 1946 as The National School Lunch Program. Congress enacted The National School Lunch Act, which President Truman signed, in response to an abundance of men who were rejected from the World War II draft due to nutritional deficiencies.
Today, the National School Lunch Program provides meals to more than 30 million students nationwide. For those students whose families live below 130 percent poverty level (an income of $27,560 for a family of four), the lunch is free. Those who live between 130 percent and 185 percent poverty level (an income of $39,220) pay a reduced price for lunch, no more than 40 cents. And all others pay full price.
How does the program work? Schools that participate get cash subsidies and commodities from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as long as their lunches meet Federal requirements.
According to a USDA Food and Nutrition Service fact sheet, “school lunches must meet the applicable recommendations of the 1995 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which recommend that no more than 30 percent of an individual’s calories come from fat, and less than 10 percent from saturated fat. Regulations also establish a standard for school lunches to provide one-third of the Recommended Dietary Allowances of protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, iron, calcium, and calories.”
That means that, overall, school meals are very balanced, according to Alexis Steines, Public Affairs Associate for the School Nutrition Association in Washington DC. “All school meals have to meet strict nutritional values set by the federal government, and there are also requirements that some states put into place over their program.”
The biggest problem, Steines says, is that students can choose food items from the a la carte lines that are not as balanced and nutritious as the actual school meal. “The dietary guidelines for the a la carte line hasn’t been updated since the 1970s,” Steines says. “So students can purchase beverages or snack items that don’t meet the USDA dietary guidelines.”
But Susan Levin, Director of Nutrition Education for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PRCM), also based out of DC, says there’s an even bigger problem than the a la carte line: the food pyramid that school lunch programs follow. Levin says the pyramid, which was created by the USDA, is flawed because it favors the interests of agricultural industry. Specifically, she says, the allowances for fat are too high.
“And eighty percent of schools do not meet the USDA standards for fat composition,” Levin says. She explains that in addition to reimbursing schools for a portion of their lunches, the USDA gives the schools overproduced meat and dairy products for free–products that are fat and sugar laden. “The USDA is paying industry–huge corporations–for their overproduced goods,” she says.
The U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) released a report in 2003 titled, “School Lunch Program: Efforts Needed to Improve Nutrition and Encourage Healthy Eating.” The GAO’s findings in 2003 were that though schools were moving toward meeting school lunch nutrition requirements, they did not meet the required 30 percent limit for calories from fat. The GAO reported that officials said they run the risk that students will buy fewer school lunches when they introduce healthier foods, resulting in loss of needed revenue.
But schools are not the ones to blame, Levin says. “The schools are set up for failure. You have to be an incredibly creative person to work within the system and get healthy school lunches out there.”
How can you ensure your children are eating healthily at school? Get involved in the schools. Talk to the principals, food service directors, and superintendent. Petition to get rid of vending machines. Solicit help from national organizations like the School Nutrition Association and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. Or, choose to work at the federal level and change what the schools are getting. Get a petition going and take it to your representative; let him or her know that this is the number of people in the district who want to see a change.
–
Education.com
Great post. I was checking constantly this blog and I am inspired! Very helpful info specifically the final part
I care for such info a lot. I was looking for this certain information for a long time. Thanks and best of luck.
Ha, that? Truly a Genuinely high-minded suggestion. Many thanks so much as a service to this!
I agree with your School Lunch Nutrition: What You Need to Know, excellent post.
I know your orientation commonly and I ethical intention I’d announce ‘ jail up the ethical work!
F*ckin’ awesome things here. I’m very glad to see your article. Thanks a lot and i am looking forward to contact you. Will you kindly drop me a e-mail?
I simply couldn’t depart your website before suggesting that I really loved the usual info a person supply on your guests? Is gonna be back incessantly in order to check out new posts
Wonderful beat ! I wish to apprentice while you amend your web site, how could i subscribe for a weblog web site? The account aided me a acceptable deal. I have been tiny bit familiar of this your broadcast offered brilliant transparent idea
This is be familiar with theme I was looking for. It feels really attractive. You own given me an important surprise scanning this artical. It is perfectly stunning. Amazing theme! Keep doing themes this way. Thanks a lot for getting out the actual theme for us!
Excellent blog you have got here. You will see me looking at your stuff often. Saved!
I enjoy reading it. I miss to learn more on this subject.. Thanks for writing this astonishing post.. Anyway, I am gonna subscribe to your silage and I wish you post again soon.
Hey, you used to write fantastic, but the last several posts have been kinda boring… I miss your great writings. Past few posts are just a bit out of track! come on!
I like to pop in your instal a pair times a week on new thoughts. I was wondering if you be enduring any other topics you correspond with about?
It’s perfect time to make a few plans for the longer term and it is time to be happy. I’ve read this submit and if I could I desire to counsel you few attention-grabbing things or advice. Perhaps you can write subsequent articles relating to this article. I wish to learn even more things approximately it!
I liked the site..This is such a great resource that you are providing and you give it away for free. I love seeing blog that understand the value of providing a quality resource for free.
It is in reality a nice and useful piece of information. I’m happy that you simply shared this helpful information with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thanks for sharing.
Hello there, simply turned into aware of your blog thru Google, and found that it is really informative. I?m gonna watch out for brussels. I will appreciate if you continue this in future. A lot of other folks will be benefited from your writing. Cheers!
Its superb as your other articles : D, appreciate it for putting up.
Hello there, simply turned into aware of your blog thru Google, and found that it is really informative. I?m gonna watch out for brussels. I will appreciate if you continue this in future. A lot of other folks will be benefited from your writing. Cheers!
Someone I utilize with visits your blog quite often and recommended it to me to presume from as well. The writing ritziness is exceptional and the content is interesting. Thanks in the direction of the discernment you victual the readers!
I adore these. They stay really effectively, won’t fall out right now, and include a good, large-ish loop to hold your hang. Plus, they you should not upset private earlobes. What more would you ask to get .
Great article. Was wondering about this for ages. Many thanks.
Hello there, simply turned into aware of your blog thru Google, and found that it is really informative. I?m gonna watch out for brussels. I will appreciate if you continue this in future. A lot of other folks will be benefited from your writing. Cheers!
Hello very cool blog!! Guy .. Excellent .. Superb .. I will bookmark your blog and take the feeds also?I’m satisfied to find so many useful info here within the post, we need develop extra techniques in this regard, thank you for sharing. . . . . .
I like Your Article about School Lunch Nutrition: What You Need to Know Perfect just what I was searching for! .
I and my pals were actually checking the nice strategies on the website and so suddenly I had a terrible suspicion I never expressed respect to the site owner for those techniques. All of the young men ended up totally stimulated to see them and have truly been tapping into these things. Appreciate your actually being very considerate and for deciding on these kinds of tremendous themes millions of individuals are really eager to be aware of. My sincere apologies for not expressing appreciation to earlier.
Great post. I was checking constantly this blog and I am impressed! Very useful information specially the last part I care for such information a lot. I was looking for this particular information for a very long time. I will keep the attention of your blog. Thank you and good luck.
Pretty practical products, general My partner and i imagine this is really worth a book mark, thank you.
I will right away take hold of your rss as I can’t find your e-mail subscription hyperlink or newsletter service. Do you’ve any? Please let me recognise in order that I could subscribe. Thanks.
What i don’t realize is in truth how you are now not really a lot more well-liked than you may be now. You’re very intelligent. You already know therefore considerably in terms of this matter, made me in my opinion imagine it from so many various angles. Its like men and women are not involved except it?s something to accomplish with Lady gaga! Your personal stuffs nice. At all times care for it up!
Nice post. I was checking constantly this blog and I am impressed! Extremely useful information specifically the last part I care for such information a lot. I was seeking this particular info for a long time. I will keep the attention of your blog. Thank you and have a great day.
wow ur site gave me power !!! thanks
Motorradreifen
Lunch is very important in the diet of my children at school!
Thank you for amazing post.
I pack my own lunches for my children, but I do allow them to buy school lunch once or twice a week even though I know their lunches lack nutrition, its more of a time factor as a busy mom for me. I would like to see stricted rules imposed for school lunches, but Im glad that soda is not available at my children’s school.