This week the LA Times ran this article about how some school districts are considering banning chocolate milk. This is not the first time specific foods have been banned to help fight childhood obesity. We’ve seen everything from banning the sale of homemade goods in New York to “sweet-free” zones and “no second helpings” in Minnesota.

I’ve been thinking about this banning business for some time now and cringe every time I hear about it being used as a strategy to help kids eat well. It’s not that proponents of these ban don’t have some points, it’s the message banning food sends to kids that bothers me:

We can’t trust you around these foods, you are helpless to their allure.

Eating just one less-than-perfect food is bad for health and weight.

Be afraid kids, be very afraid.

Why fear and food don’t mix

When we teach kids that some foods are “bad,” it’s very conflicting to them. One the one hand they enjoy these foods, but on the other hand, they keep hearing how bad they are for them. How many adults feel these same feelings of conflict: “I know I shouldn’t eat dessert but I can’t help myself.”

In some kids, but not all, banning and making single foods out to be bad make them even more attractive. The topic of banning chocolate milk came up on one of my nutrition list serves and dietitian Rosanne Rust, author of Restaurant Calorie Counter for Dummies, summed my thoughts on this perfectly:

Even though many seem to think we aren’t getting anywhere with the concept of “moderation”, I don’t think we should give up trying to teach people how to choose proper portions of imperfect foods in the proper frequency. Children particularly need to understand this concept. Trying to create some sort of nutrition utopia for them isn’t going to help them make their own choices later in life.

Rosanne goes onto explain how she bans nothing in her home of 3 active boys. Her children get the choice of 1% white, chocolate or strawberry milk at home. Her kids choose white most of the time, but have the choice and enjoy the flavored milk occasionally. They are also allowed to eat some packaged snacks and even Pop Tarts on occasion because she finds that what teens can’t get at home they seek out at neighbors’ homes, and possibly resent their parents for never buying them anything “good”.

She also feeds her kids lots of fresh food – they are offered vegetables daily, eat fruit daily and they prefer whole grain breads and cereals. They enjoy the harvest of the family’s summer vegetable garden and help gather eggs every day from their six backyard hens.

“The whole idea of ‘banning’ food choices frustrates me because I happen to believe that children need to learn to make good choices independently,” she says. “Making balanced choices takes guidance from a parent initially, but every time these types of ‘rules’ are made, the choice is made for them, taking away the opportunity to learn how to balance ‘treat foods’ with more wholesome ones.”

A better alternative?

Jill Castle, MS, RD helped re-vamp the food offerings of the cafeteria program at a private school in Tennessee. She said some parents wanted to get rid of the chocolate milk but instead, after hearing about the pros and cons, decided to offer it once a week.

After sales of milk went way down, they decided to offer chocolate milk twice a week and everyone ended up pleased with the result.

“I don’t agree with vilifying any food because of the message it sends to kids, ” Jill says. “Ban chocolate milk because it is bad.”

This a great idea — offering items like chocolate milk less often or on certain days. This way, kids learn how all foods fit into a balanced diet.

And we can’t forget foods items like chocolate milk offer vital nutrition too — and some kids simply don’t like the taste of milk.  For more on this topic see this post. 

Shelley Rael, MS, RD hated milk growing up but never had the choice of chocolate milk or even calcium supplements (her doctor thought they were only for old ladies).  Now at the age of 41, she goes between osteopenia (low bone mass) and osteoporosis on her scans. 

“So, I do not agree with chocolate milk being banned,” she says. “If I had it I would have consumed it.”

What do you think about these food bans? Anything heating up in your area??

In early December the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 was signed into law. It had been 10 years since the government reauthorized child nutrition programs — and with childhood obesity on the rise many were fighting for real change.

The new bill incorporates many positive changes with its $4.5 billion of additional funding for child nutrition programs over the next 10 years. But how does this bill translate into the daily lives of children? Here are the highlights…

• Better food choices all around: The USDA already sets nutrition standards for school lunches but now they’ll have the authority to set standards for “other food” sold at school including vending machines, a la carte items and school stores. This may take a while to put in place but the result will be more nutritious food available outside of school lunches.

• More money for lunches: For the first time in 30 years, there will be more money going to school lunches that meet new nutrition standards. There will also be more auditing to ensure school districts are complying with the standards.

• More local food: More funding will go to farm-to-school programs aiming to get more local food into schools.

• More children will qualify: More children will have access to school meal programs due to changes in eligibility and processing.

• New school wellness programs: New standards will be set for nutrition promotion and education and physical activity.

• Safer Food: New requirements will help improve the safety of food at schools.

I know many proponents of this bill wanted even more resources to go to school nutrition programs but this is definitely a step in the right direction.  This, combined with the creative ideas for Smarter Lunchrooms developed by Brian Wansink, means a healthier future for our kids.

What do you think? Does this address any concerns you have at your child’s school? Anyone working in school nutrition care to comment?

There’s been so much attention on the National School Lunch Program that it’s often forgotten that parents make lunches too.  As new nutrition guidelines are implemented in schools across the country, parents could also use some guidance. 

A few months ago Stephanie Holguin from Foodie-isms asked me to write an introduction for her Lunch Box Love Series.  At the time I was just starting to make my daughter’s lunch, something I was a little anxious about.  But I knew this was something I was going to have to do for many years to come so I figured that I might as well get good at it.  I combed through the Intstitute of Medicine’s recommendations for school lunch and developed a check list. 

5 Nutrition Must-Haves for Your Child’s School Lunch summarizes these nutrition recommendations and the rest of the posts in the series (next week) will translate the guidelines into lunch meals.  So don’t miss the rest of the Lunch Box Love series for inspiration on what to include in your child’s packed lunch.

Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution and Michelle Obama’s fight against childhood obesity have brought attention to the National School Lunch Program. Since Oliver’s reality show aired, some parents have been calling their child’s school to complain about the food. But I encourage every parent to take a step back first and educate themselves about School Lunch.

A good place to start is my previous article, What Nobody Tells Parents about School Lunch. I explain the challenges school nutrition professionals face including limited resources, meeting nutrition requirements and pleasing kids.

I believe more can be accomplished if we work together to make schools a healthier place for our children. So with that in mind, here are three important things parents can do to improve their child’s school food environment.

1. Support Child Nutrition Reauthorization (CNR): Every 5 years lawmakers take a fresh look at federal nutrition programs to evaluate what’s working, what’s not working and how to redistribute funds. One key aspect being revisited is the amount the government will reimburse for school meals. The current reimbursement rate for free lunches is $2.68 per meal.

The Obama administration proposed an additional $1 Billion for school nutrition programs in their fiscal budget for 2011. The additional money would help food service professionals provide more fresh produce and get up-to-date equipment. More money would also help them rely less on snack sales for revenue. It’s a win-win.

The first Child Nutrition re-authorization bill, The Healthy, Hunger-Free Act of 2010, recently passed the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. The bill now goes to the Senate floor for consideration. This legislation invests $4.5 Billion in new nutrition programs over ten years including stricter nutrition standards and increased meal reimbursements.

So contact your senators and tell them you support The Healthy, Hunger-Free Act of 2010. You can reach your senators’ offices by calling the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

This is an important way parents can “cast their vote” for healthy school lunches.

2. Look at School Nutrition Professionals as Partners: Food service directors are not climbing the corporate ladder or getting bonuses for feeding children unhealthy foods. Instead, most are educated individuals working hard to provide nutritious meals for growing kids. And many of them have been fighting for improvements way before it was popular.

“We were pointing out flaws in the system over 30 years ago,” says Beverly Girard, MBA, MS, RD, Food Service Director at Sarasota County. “We have been fighting for lower fat meals, stopping sodas when they started in 2000 and have been gunning for competitive foods sold to have the same nutrition regulations that we have.”

Girard explains how the School Nutrition Association was at the historic 1969 White House Conference of Food, Nutrition and Health pushing for more resources to feed kids right. Part of the problem, she adds, is the decrease in net funding over the last few decades which has really hurt school nutrition programs.

So if you are upset with what’s going on at your child’s school, talk to the food service director (FSD). Remember that they want what’s best for kids too. Listen to their explanations, challenges and then give them your ideas for improvement. Many FSDs will keep a list of parental concerns to tackle at a later date. And if you have time, you can always volunteer to help.

3. Get involved with your child’s school lunch: Once you do what you can to increase resources and get your complaints out of the way, take an active role in what your child eats at school. How? Utilize SchoolMenu.com, a free web site program. To find out if your school is signed up email menu@schoolmenu.com for more information.

This user friendly site allows parents to see what’s on the menu at their child’s school and it often includes the nutritional information. You also get nutrition and wellness articles and factual information about the school lunch program. As an advisor to SchoolMenu.com, I contribute articles and feel it’s a great way for parents to get involved (Full Disclosure: I receive no compensation from schoolmenu.com or any of its affiliates).

While everyone may not get exactly what they want in terms of change, fighting for better funds, partnering with school nutrition professionals and becoming aware of what’s being served at your child’s school can help tremendously.

There’s no doubt that childhood obesity has put the spotlight on the National School Lunch Program.

But is all that you hear true? Is the food children are getting at school so terrible?

I’ve taken a closer look at the School Lunch Program since starting this blog. This is partly due to my partnership with Schoolmenu.com a website that posts menus and nutrition education information (by school district), in many cases the nutritional content of menu items is also shown.

After talking to several school Food Service Directors, I’m dying to share what’s really going on in school cafeterias across America. And I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

1. Schools have to meet nutrition standards: In 1996, legislation was passed mandating schools to provide meals that contain 1/3rd the Recommended Daily Allowances for key nutrients including calories, protein, calcium, iron and vitamins A and C. The nutrition standards also limits total fat (30% of calories or less) and saturated fat (10% of calories or less). Schools are encouraged, but not required, to reduce levels of cholesterol and sodium and increase the amounts of whole grains, fruits, vegetables and dietary fiber.

Everyone agrees that these standards need to be revised as they are still based on the 1995 Dietary Guidelines. The Institute of Medicine has developed recommendations to update the nutrition standards to reflect recent dietary guidelines. Those changes should be coming soon.

2. Money is tight: Most parents don’t realize that Food Service Directors, like CEOs, are running a million dollar business. If the district has 20, 50, or 100 schools, that means operating that many cafeterias. Their job is to provide low cost, nutritious meals to school-aged kids.

“I have $1.68 to spend on each meal,” says Wanda Grant, dietitian and Director of Food Services for Palm Springs Unified School District. “Fresh fruits and vegetables are hard on the budget but I find ways to include them”

Cindy Hobbs, Executive Director of Child Nutrition Services for Charlotte Mecklenburg county schools in North Carolina, runs 170 schools and serves 130,000 daily meals. While the government pays for half of her budget, the other half comes from items sold a la carte.

“Unfortunately, many items like fruits and vegetables are not kids favorites (don’t sell),” she says. “But when possible we try to improve the nutrition of all the (snack) foods we offer by using whole wheat flour and lowering the fat.”

3. Not every food is what it appears to be: Food Service Directors often receive parental complaints about the junk they serve. Yet in order to meet the nutrition standards, and please kids, they need to be creative. That means the pizza is made with whole grains and reduced fat cheese. Grant says that she strives to make half of the grains she serves to her students whole grains, which is consistent with current dietary guidelines.

The quality of meals has improved drastically from 20 years ago when fried chicken was the best seller with French fries not far behind. Hobbs has been active in changing how food is prepared in schools.

“There are no fryers in our elementary and secondary schools,” she says. “We still have some work to do with some of our high schools but soon there will be no fryers in any of our schools. All they are frying these days are French fries but that won’t last too long.”

4. Schools hire registered dietitians: School districts employ nutrition professionals like Grant, who is a registered dietitian. In larger districts like Hobbs’ there are usually multiple dietitians, who are responsible for creating the regular menus, while others are in charge of special diets and education.

Parents ought to know that the people preparing and planning meals for kids are educated in the area of health and nutrition.

5. School food service workers are a dedicated bunch: School nutrition professionals are a hard working group of people. Most have been in their jobs for more than 20 years. However, there are lots of new highly trained young directors coming into this growing profession. And while they all say that improvements are needed, they seem to love what they do.

Unfortunately, most of the press on school lunch is negative so they get little recognition. But there’s a lot of good stuff going on behind the scenes. And that deserves some press, too.

To see what the kids in Grant and Hobb’s Districts are eating at school go to SchoolMenu.com and where is says “quickly view a school’s menu” enter California, for “district” enter Palm Springs and then select any school, Enter North Carolina, for “district”. enter Charlotte-Mecklenberg and select any school. If you would like more information on how your district can participate in the schoolmenu.com program send an email to menu@schoolmenu.com for for all the details.

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References
Review of National School Lunch and School Breakfast Program Meal Patterns and Nutrient Standards

Just last week, a friend of mine stopped by and brought over some chocolate milk for my daughter (he works for Nestle). I’ve never offered Anna chocolate milk, as she is a huge fan of regular. Then, the next time I read the news, I found that chocolate milk may be on the chopping block at schools. This led to the National Dairy Council’s campaign, Raise Your Hand to Chocolate Milk.

I think I forgot chocolate milk existed until now.

Activists for the ban say that kids are already getting too much sugar and chocolate milk only adds to their sugar intake. Chef Ann Cooper, the “Renegade Lunch Lady,” announced that the extra 60 calories in chocolate milk can add up to 5 pounds in one 180-day school year. Most in this camp believe that if chocolate milk isn’t available, children will choose to drink regular milk or other calcium-rich foods.

Health professionals for chocolate milk in schools say that the extra sugar calories are worth the essential nutrients kids receive including calcium, vitamin D and potassium (nutrients of public health significance) along with 6 other essential nutrients. They contend that some children just won’t drink milk if it’s not sweetened. And according to a recent report from the American Heart Association, there is no link between flavored milk and higher weights in children.

When I pull out the fat-free chocolate milk from Nesquik, I see that it has 60 extra calories and 16 grams of additional sugar (about 3 teaspoons).

I’m not against sugar being used to enhance the taste of certain foods. I add some brown sugar to my oatmeal and buy cereals that are sweetened but also contain whole grains and fiber. But I’m always looking for products that hit the “sweet spot” of taste with the least amount of sugar.

The truth is I don’t really have a strong opinion on whether or not chocolate milk should be served in schools. And I think it has to do with my attitude about food. I don’t target specific foods as “bad” or the cause of obesity. Instead, I try to focus on the overall diet. And I’m also more concerned with the how of eating. But more on this in an upcoming post…

After searching this topic online, I found most parents want to keep chocolate milk in schools. What’s your take on it?

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