New School Lunch Recommendations From the IOM
An Institute of Medicine (IOM) panel has proposed a new set of guidelines for the National School Lunch Program… and they’re long overdue. According to the LA Times:
Children would get fewer French fries and more dark green vegetables in school cafeterias under recommendations being issued today by an Institute of Medicine panel.
In addition, for the first time in the National School Lunch Program, the committee called for calorie limits on meals in an effort to curb obesity. The lunch recommendations allot 650 calories for students in kindergarten through fifth grade, 700 calories in sixth to eighth grade, and 850 calories in high school. Breakfasts should not be above 500, 550 and 600, respectively, for the same grade levels, the committee said.
…Over the next decade, the sodium content of meals should gradually be reduced, the committee said. A typical high school lunch today contains about 1,600 milligrams of sodium; a maximum of 740 milligrams is recommended.
But the recommended upper limit of total fat would increase from 30% to 35% of calories, bringing it in line with the dietary guidelines. The goal is no trans fats and less than 10% of calories as saturated fats.
The committee recommended more legumes, vegetables and fruits — such as cups of fruit in breakfasts for all grades and in lunches for high school students. It also said no more than half of the fruit should be in the form of juice.
The committee recommended weekly amounts for vegetables, including dark green and orange vegetables, grains, and meats, cheese and yogurt for each age group. And it said fruits and vegetables were not interchangeable.
It also recommended that whole milk be replaced with low-fat or skim milk, and that refined grains be replaced with whole grain foods.
These changes are sorely needed. Over the years, my kids resolutely refused to eat the food served in their school cafeterias, because it was always too fatty, salty and just plain unappetizing. But a lot of kids have no choice. Needless to state, school lunches ought to be better than fast food meals so many kids eat these days… not the equivalent (or worse).
October 21, 2009
I agree completely. I think the school lunches over the years have become terrible nutritionally. More vegetables, fruits and legumes would be a great change.
Maybe if the kids start eating healthier in school, it may translate over to eating better at home.
Parents could take a que from this to also increase the healthy nutrition in their kids diets.
Definately a step in the right direction.
October 22, 2009
My mother was a “lunch lady” for years (she worked at my old junior high school), and was constantly complaining about how bad it was getting. When I was a kid, the cafeteria food was prepared fresh, but as school districts moved to cut costs, food prep was outsourced to contractors (like Marriott Corp. – which was my mother’s nemesis). Since contractors expect to make a profit administering the programs, they naturally skimp on the food.
Similar deal in my kids schools – the food was brought in from the outside and merely reheated (if needed) prior to serving. And the kids were right to disdain it.. it wasn’t very appetizing or nutrient-dense.