Cited: MSNBC

Further to the ongoing efforts to stem the tide of childhood obesity and to get our kids eating healthy, at least while they’re in school, toady the U.S. Department of Agriculture published new standards for menus in the school lunch program. The Changes are aimed at improving nutrition by changing what the kids are served. Out, or at least less, are fats and sweets, and in are more fruits and vegetables. Getting the kids on a better diet is the first critical step in improving the overall health of our school children, the most glaring sign of their poor health being the obesity epidemic.

This is the first major change in the school lunch program in fifteen years, despite the problem being around for quite some time, and will effect over 30 million school children that eat in their schools. The new regulations will take over three years to fully implement into the entire school system after it is launched in the fall of 2012.

School officials nationwide are hailing the new standards as an important first step toward getting our kids back into shape and in improving their overall health. Under the new standards, schools will be required to offer their students fruits and vegetables every day. They will also have to increase the whole grain products served to children – meaning more whole grain breads and cereals, as well as reducing fat and sodium (salt) in their diets. The new standards will also require that schools only serve low-fat or reduced fat milk.

As anyone on Weight Watchers knows, portion size is also a key element in staying healthy and fit and this point is also being emphasized by the USDA in their new mandate. Menus offered in the schools will now be required to pay strict attention to portion sizes to ensure that kids are getting the right caloric in-take for their size and age. The efforts put forth by the USDA are part of the Obama Administration, and in particular First Lady Michele Obama’s, campaign Let’s Move as well as the Healthy, hunger-Free Kids Act, which is a law passed last year. The most recent studied conducted on childhood obesity show that over 17% of American children are obese.

Part of the challenge will get kids to “buy into” the program. Just because they have healthier choice doesn’t mean that they will necessarily eat them. White House chef Sam Kass has been working with school chefs around the country to make sure that the new menus are tasty and healthy. For example, while the kids will still get their favorites like pizza and fries, now they will get whole wheat pizza and sweet potato fries instead.

School districts in Seattle are taking the new guidelines a step further by partnering with local farmers and also planting gardens in schools for kids to learn more about food, and eating the food they grow. Many school nutritionists have said the new diets won’t be as big of a challenge as will be trying to reduce sodium in the kid’s food while still making it appealing to them.

My take:

My first question is why on Earth did it take 15 years to revamp the school lunch program when the obesity problem in the U.S. has grown to epidemic proportions? Well, better late than never. To some extent the schools will have to get some help from home too to ensure that the kids understand why the changes are being made and how they can live a better life if they eat better…..at home too. In fact, it probably wouldn’t be the worst idea to have some kind of program for the parents so that they can learn how to prepare more healthy meals for the whole family.