Sunday, March 28, 1999
School lunch now healthful
But kids still have to like it or they won't eat
BY LISA DONOVAN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Nothing tops off a long morning of fractions, Faulkner and frog dissection like a slice of pizza, a corn dog or a plate of cheesy nachos.
At first glance, it doesn't appear the entrees frequently featured on Tristate school lunch menus would be nutritional food for thought.
Yet state officials give Cincinnati-area schools high marks for complying with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's edict in 1995 to the nation's schools: Cut fat and salt in federally subsidized student meals.
That isn't the case in all parts of the country.
In fact, a majority of school districts in several states, including Indiana, Arizona, California, Delaware, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, are still using meal plans based on 1940s-era ideas about nutrition, sometimes with modifications, according to a review by the Associated Press.
Unlike those districts, Cincinnati is in compliance with the USDA standards that call for the meals to average no more than 30 percent of calories from fat per week and less than 10 percent of calo ries from saturated fat.
That said, you won't find Cincinnati lunchrooms filled with children snacking on pieces of romaine and washing it down with a V-8. Instead, school cooks are giving children the options of fresh fruit, a salad or heart-friendly pizza and fries.
The bottom line? A kid's got to eat.
“You can put out all the low-fat foods you want, and if they don't eat it, who are you helping?” said Pat Selmeier, a supervisor of school services for Cincinnati Public Schools. Her duties include writing lunch menus.
Adds Treva Whitlock, director of child nutrition for Lakota Schools in Butler County: “There have been studies. ... We know hungry children don't learn.”
Even Sharon Cleland, a nutritionist with the state's education department, says: “Tofu and bean sprouts are not going to do it.”
“Things like pizzas and chicken nuggets can fit into a nutritious diet,” she said. “The meals could be more nutritious, but we're trying to balance it out so they'll eat them.”
Most school nutritionists say they must strike that balance between serving up food that is nutritious and meals that children like.
That means serving up old favorites using new recipes. Those mystery hotdogs of old have been replaced by turkey dogs. Pepperoni pizza slices are prepared especially for schools, often with only two ounces of meat and low-fat cheeses — not your regular pizza parlor fare. Some of the pies have veggies on them.
Sometimes it means serving something higher in fat one day per week and cutting back on it the rest of the week.
Still, places such as Indian Hill Middle School have a salad bar and many school districts are seeing students opt for a chopped salad rather than the hot entree. And in many districts, schools have either rejected salt and butter from recipes or seriously cut back on both.
If it weren't for the demand for French fries, most school officials say they would have ditched their fryers.
What's heartening is that many officials see their kids munching on fresh fruits; and baby carrots are also popular.
The state's Department of Education regularly monitors the school's lunchroom menus to ensure compliance with USDA reg ulations. Just under 1 million students eat school lunches daily, and in the Cincinnati area cafeterias are doing a “pretty good job,” said Ms. Cleland, regional consultant with Child Nutrition Services, part of the state's education department.
In fact, most districts in the state are faring well.
“We're finding that over 60 percent of school districts are complying,” she said.
The guidelines were created in 1994 and issued a year later amid worries that young people were getting too much grease — school lunches averaged 38 percent of calories from fat — while the government was urging all Americans to eat healthier.
Diets high in fat and saturated fat have been linked to childhood obesity and heart disease.
The federal school lunch program feeds some 26 million children across the country, costing taxpayers $4 billion a year. Schools are reimbursed for every meal they serve so they can sell lunches for as little as $1.50 and provide free meals to the poorest students.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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