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Making sure kids eat healthy food at school takes more than packing an apple and sending them on their way.For one thing, kids consume 50% of their daily calories at school. So, that apple (assuming it avoids the trash) won’t be all it takes to make sure your kids are eating healthy and balanced foods throughout the day. At The Get Movin’ Crew, we try to make sure that the students influenced by our healthy fundraising programs In 2012, school cafeterias began being held to stricter standards when it came to providing breakfast and lunch to students. Now, 86% of schools are offering more fruit, veggies, whole-grains, low-fat dairy foods, and fewer products pumped with sugar and fat. This is great news for concerned parents who recall their own lunch food experiences of unidentifiable mush or greasy pizza and hotdogs. While this trend should certainly have parents rejoicing, it does not mean that unhealthy foods in the cafeteria do not exist. And, as Vicki Clinebell from the parenting blog Momtastic, tells us, “Salty and sugary foods are abundant in school cafeterias and they’re tempting to kids. They’re colorful, quick and the other kids are eating them!” So how can we battle the temptations of the cafeteria for our kids, while taking advantage of the new health standards and fresh foods offered in schools (especially when we can’t be there to constantly monitor what our kids eat)? We have a few ideas gathered from fellow parents and backed by research into standards by the USDA. We leave it to you test out these suggestions and join the conversation about encouraging healthy eating habits for our youth! Understanding the Territory: Teach Your Kids How to Make the HEALTHY ChoiceEver try to help your kid with his or her math homework, only to realize that simple algebra or basic story problems (enough with the “when will the train arrive?” questions!) are throwing you for a loop? The same thing can happen when we try to teach our kids about making healthy choices without understanding the terrain of the cafeteria. A lot has changed since most of us have been in school, and First off, we recommend getting to know the new standards that the government has placed on school cafeterias. Here’s a list from a press release issued by the USDA about the practical changes being made under the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act:
Knowing this list can help direct you in what you need to be teaching your kid(s) about healthy eating at school. For example, make it a fun challenge for your child to have at least three colors on his or her plate to encourage eating those fruits and veggies. Also, try incorporating more of these foods into your meals at home so your child can begin to acquire a taste for and familiarity with foods like whole-grain bread and non-fat milk. Most schools will post their lunch menu online or send it home with the students. Each week or month (depending on when you get the menu) try sitting down with your child and highlighting the healthy food options. Here is a link to an example of a school lunch menu by Montgomery Schools in Maryland. Notice how they list the calories and the specific fruits and veggies available each day. Packing the Main Meal & Utilizing the A La CarteOne of the hardest parts of packing school lunches is the lack of refrigeration. Add in some busy moms & dads who are throwing food into a brown paper bag, and you have the makings of pre-packaged, fatty, salty, and sugary school lunches. Instead, try a hybrid of packed lunches with purchased, refrigerated a la carte items. However, there is a challenge to this method: the temptation of unhealthy a la carte foods. Sending your kids to school with a packed sandwich and a few dollars to buy a yogurt and banana is great in theory, but much harder in practice. Here are a few ways to overcome the a la carte challenge:
Add Some Pizzazz!Part of the temptation of unhealthy school foods, is that they come in bright packaging or are portrayed through the media as desirable (just count the number of pizza commercials during a tv show). Rather than ban these foods and turn nutritious eating into a negative, try adding in some pizzaz to the healthy foods! Here are some great suggestions inspired by the bloggers at Momtastic & Fuel Up to Play:
Keep Calm & Healthy OnIt’s easy to get stressed about what your kids are eating at school. The cafeterias we continue to see portrayed in popular culture are rife with grease, sugar and a general attitude of neglect when it comes to food. But there has been great progress in recent years and the true picture is much more balanced when it comes to the battle between healthy and unhealthy options. Plus, don’t forget about your allies: cafeteria workers! We cannot stress enough that the image of the grumpy old “lunch lady” ladling mush onto plates is both antiquated and a myth. Today’s cafeteria workers understand the importance of balanced meals and are doing amazing work to keep our kids healthy in school. Check out this video from the Food Network show, Chopped, for proof of what we’re talking about: We highlight the cafeteria worker to show that you are not in this alone. In fact, the entire country is getting more and more committed to changing the face of school lunches and the childhood obesity epidemic. Trust us, you’re not the only one who wants your kids lead nutritious, healthy lives. That being said, put faith into the cafeteria workers at your school, get advice from fellow parents (and TGMC!) about best practices for healthy eating, and give your kids the knowledge they need and the credit they deserve that, if given the option, they just might pick that apple over the bag of chips. Sources: State of Obesity | Family Doctor | Momtastic | Fuel Up to Play |