School lunches can be healthy when children make good choices.
A large controversy has grown over time about what children eat during lunch time at school. Studies with the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center have shown that children often consume fatty meats and sugary drinks while eating less fruits and vegetables. Teach your children to make healthy choices with school lunches or send homemade lunches to ensure they receive the nutrition they need.
Federal Guidelines
In spite of the bad reputation that school lunches have, federal guidelines are in place that dictate the types of food offered. Schools must meet guidelines in order to take part in the National School Lunch Program that offers free and reduced school lunches to low-income families. Lunches must not contain more than 30 percent of their calories from fat. Each lunch should offer a wide selection from the food pyramid, which includes grains, meat, fruits and vegetables.
Institutional Food
School lunches are usually a variety of institutional foods, which allow the school to buy items in bulk. Typical school lunch items include chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese or other pasta, canned fruit and vegetables. Fresh fruit is not offered frequently due to its perishable nature. Pizza and other frozen entr es are often served. Bread is served is the form of heat-and-serve rolls. Children often have their choice of dessert, such as gelatin desserts or cookies.
Home Lunches
Packed lunches allow you to control what your child eats at school. Some schools, such as Chicago's Little Village Academy, ban lunches from home, saying they are inferior. If your school allows home lunches, pack nutritional choices. Offer your child turkey wraps with turkey and Swiss cheese wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla. Send fresh fruit, such as grapes, apples, bananas and orange slices. Allow your child to purchase school milk or send 100 percent natural juices. Raw vegetables make excellent choices paired with ranch dressing. Yogurt pouches and hard boiled eggs also work well in lunch boxes that keep items cold.
Milk
Encourage your child to drink milk instead of sugary drinks. Some schools allow the purchase of soft drinks. Teach your child the importance of making good lunch choices and selecting from a variety of dairy. Flavored milk, such as chocolate milk, is still a better choice than soft drinks because it is rich in vitamin A and calcium.
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