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School lunches get a new look
Delicious Reddit

DECEMBER 07, 2005
By Happynews Staff

Got healthy school lunch? More and more California schools do...thanks to widespread changes blanketing the country. That's good news for nearly 8 million school age children, who eat at least one-third of their meals outside the home in this state. Many kids eat whatever's served at school during the day, and then head to their favorite fast-food joint afterwards.
A growing childhood obesity epidemic -- and irrefutable evidence linking nutrition to strong school performance -- is fueling an increase in local and state efforts taking aim school lunch menus. Parents, school boards and even Congress are proactively working to get rid of junk food and sodas, replacing them with fruits, vegetables, and milk.
The "Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection" bill, which was introduced last month, would remove junk food from schools by updating nutrition standards for foods sold on school campuses outside of the federal school meal programs.
One School district in Southern California -- the Compton Unified School District in Los Angeles County -- is proving that bringing fresh foods directly to school cafeterias can make a real difference. "Our lunches used to contain too much fat, and sugar, but with the introduction of our new salad bar and other nutritional changes, we found that healthy foods are affordable and that we can actually get kids to eat them," explained Tommy Callegari, Senior Director of Student Nutrition for Compton Unified School District. "As a result, we're now seeing a difference in our student's academic performance and their attendance."
Among the foods making a comeback on school lunch menus is milk. According to the California Milk Processor Board, the bone-building drink has seen a rapid decline in school sales over the past 30 years -- from 3 billion half pints of milk in 1970; 1.8 billion in 1980; and 181 million in 1990, to only 103 million pints in 2004. This happened at the same time that soda intake and childhood obesity skyrocketed.
But, that's starting to change as health conscious school districts like Compton, Los Angeles and San Francisco Unified, to name a few, are focusing back on this good old fashioned beverage. "We've eliminated sodas on all of our elementary school campuses and replaced them with milk or water," continues Callegari. "We're determined that childhood obesity won't escalate on our watch."
Such comments bring into focus -- that while school lunch menu improvements are important -- proper nutrition and education starts at home. Parents need to set healthy eating examples for their children and encourage nutritious foods in and out of home.