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Parents need to
prepare their students for the choices available in school meals
according to Terry Egan, nutrition and health education specialist
with University of Missouri Extension.
“It is important to
talk with students about the choices that they will be able to make
at school breakfast and lunch,” said Egan. “This helps you as
parents know the options and helps your child choose a variety of
foods.”
Mandated School
Wellness Polices has assisted schools in making healthier options
available in schools meals. The focus is on increasing balanced
nutrition intake and lowering the fat and sugar over the week’s
worth of meals.
What kinds of
milk choices are available at school?
Many schools are
cutting out or cutting back on whole milk and serving more low fat
options. Fat free flavored milks, such as chocolate or strawberry,
may be available every day. “Milk provides calcium and other
nutrients and is always a healthy choice,” said Egan.
Breakfast
Choices:
For breakfast and
lunch there is usually an entrée and an option. At breakfast, the
option may always be cold cereal and milk, at lunch it may be a
sandwich. Look at the menu with your children and help them decide
which entrées they will try. “It is important to encourage
tasting foods,” said Egan. “Recipes, foods, and preparation
techniques are different. Your child may like the way the food is
prepared at school, even if they won’t eat it at home.”
Schools have the
option of “offer vs. serve” at school meals. This means they
may offer the green beans, but the child can refuse and therefore
not be served the green beans.
Options:
As a parent, you may
think your child has received a balanced meal, when in fact they
just chose a couple of items.
“It is important to
talk to your child about accepting what is offered,” said Egan. “If
they try the food and don’t like it, they don’t have to eat it. But
if the food never gets on the tray, a child may not be able to
experience a new or differently prepared food.”
Students in middle
and high school have more options. More “a la cart” items like snack
bars, juices, and chips are available. Schools have chosen healthier
options in this area.
Wellness policies
prohibit competitive foods such as soda, candies, and high fat
snacks for sale during lunchtime.
School nutrition
education programs such as MU Extensions’ Family Nutrition
Education Program promote healthy choices in the classroom and
provide taste tests for students to try new foods surrounded by
their peers. “Teachers report that students love the taste tests
and are more apt to try new foods at lunchtime,” said Egan.
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