What Are Your Kids Eating For Lunch?

What's on the kids school lunch menu? Do you really want to know? Ok, let's take a look at October. I realize it's the spooky season but this menu is more chilling than any horror movie. Pork tacos (can it get any more unappetizing than this?), chicken "rings" (is this something the chickens wear whilst on a hot date or is this actually a lunch item they're feeding to kids?), pizza (sometimes twice a week), hot dogs and jumbo hot dogs, french toast sticks with greasy (kids comment) sausages, chicken ceaser salad which the kids say has cold, fatty and gross chicken thrown on top of it and non-organic junk beef (which we do not eat in our house) several times a week. It's enough to make one lose their lunch, really.

My kids typically buy lunch twice a week and I pack lunches the other days. I let them go over the menu and cross off the days they don't want to buy. Fortunately for them and their health, they cross off more days than not.

What I pack? Some standby items are yogurt with granola and/or fruit, cheese sticks, kettle chips/salsa, PB&J, turkey & cheese, homemade cookies, grapes, melon balls, homemade kettle corn, thermos filled with leftover pasta/chicken rice, dinner leftover etc. and reusable water bottles and I give them some change if they want to buy milk. Both of my kids are slim and active and have a healthy attitude about food and will pretty much try anything I cook. Both check labels for junk additives such as MSG and aspartame and eat as much as they like of the healthy food we buy. Both eat little meals every few hours instead of gorging on a few big meals twice a day. Sadly, I've noticed many of their once slim friends are getting "husky" but I've seen how they and what they eat and drink (sports drinks fueled with caffeine for kids who don't get off the couch!) and I fear for their health in the long term.

I could go on and on about this subject and am very interested in listening to Ann Cooper next week and wish she'd come to NH and straighten up our lunch programs.

When I was a child, two decades or so ago, we were served fish sticks, pasta, mashed potatos & gravy, iceburg salads with tomatos and a boiled egg, sloppy joes. Basically a lot of the same stuff the kids are served today. I remember reaching high school and buying cherry pies for lunch several times a week and the bland salad on the days I'd feel guilty about eating so much junk. I knew nothing about nutrition and we weren't taught about such things in class or at home. Sadly, things have seemed to continue on this junky trend but my son is beginning to come home with interesting tidbits he's learning in health class. If only the lunch menu would follow suit . . .

When I entered junior high in 1998 I remember the coolest thing was that you could eat whatever you wanted. Snack was donuts and other assorted pastries. For lunch I would have seasoned fries and strawberry milk. And a cookie the size of a plate of course. When I got into high school the school introduced a salad bar to the cafeteria. So I would have iceberg lettuce and croutons. VERY healthy:)

I realize that going into the adolescent years it is important to give young people a choice, but that doesn't mean you have to give them poor choices. The choices we got were hamburger, cheeseburger, chicken burger, fries, salad bar, hot lunch item (shepherds pie, american chop suey, etc). It is so easy to give healthy choices instead of "what fried food would you like today?"
I was lucky that I participated in many sports (volleyball, skiing, track and field) and took dance lessons so I was able to fight off the ill effects of my eating habits, but many kids are not so lucky.
I think that part of a nutrition program needs to include an emphasis on physical activity. The government agrees with me because the new food pyramid (mypyramid.gov) includes physical activity as part of the pyramid.

We have a cook who works with our nutrition manager so that the meals contain fresh food that exposes our low-income children to different foods. She makes fresh muffins, pancakes and fresh fruit for breakfast and a warm meal at lunch. Once a month she does a hands on nutrition activity with the 3-5 year olds and teaches them about measuring and what the ingredients look like before they are prepared. We also work with the UNH Extension service. She comes in for 6 wks to read a book that relates to her activity with them. Last yr. the parents wanted to go to Hannafords with their children to learn about their Healthy foods program and tour all the departments. The children love eating the food. At first they won't eat it but we offer it several times and before you know it they try it. Also if their fellow students try it, they try it. We serve the food family style and we pass the food to the right of them and they take what they want. If they taste a new food, they get a badge. We teach them about manners and how to have a conversation during the meal. The parents try this at home. They are encouraged to eat with their children and we have a male involvement breakfast as well. We lower the lights in the room and play jazz that is relaxing. This is a great way to teach young families how to get their families to eat more healthy. It works!