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Back to School Means Healthier Eating

(ARA) - The end of summer is a time for back-to-school clothing sales. It is a time for stocking up on school supplies, buying notebooks, binders, pencils and a ream or two of paper. It is also an opportunity to consider lunch options for the new school year.

Eating "right" is something we, as adults, know we are supposed to do. But children need guidance from parents to learn to make healthy eating choices. Parents face three main alternatives when thinking about lunch for their school-age youngsters:

* Ignore the issue and let the child decide

* Pack a lunch

* School lunch

Children left to their own devices may bring food from home for lunch, might leave campus during lunch in pursuit of a snack or may frequent vending machines and snack bars on campus. If sound food decisions are modeled and encouraged at home -- a child's choices during the school day could result in a well-balanced meal.

Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, however, reveal that some 15 percent of children and teens are overweight, suggesting that too often children are choosing cookies over carrots when deciding their own meals and snacks.

Sack lunches packed for a child, or ideally with the child, provide more parent control over food choices. But this alternative does not necessarily translate into a healthy lunch. Research published in 2001 by Dr. Alice Jo Rainville, associate professor in the Human, Environmental and Consumer Resources Department at Eastern Michigan University, compared the nutritional value of sack lunches brought from home with lunches offered in the school cafeteria. Reimbursable school lunches provided through the National School Lunch Program provided on average three times as many dairy products, twice as much fruit, and seven times the vegetable amounts as lunches brought from home, which provided three times as many snack items. Dr. Rainville concluded that reimbursable school lunches were lower in fat, provided more nutrients overall and provided more food variety than sack lunches from home.

If a sack lunch option is still preferred over the cafeteria, parents and students should consider the following tips to avoid common pitfalls:

* Involve the child by asking what he or she wants to eat and discussing the choices.

* Plan ahead -- don’t leave decisions on what to pack for the last minute.

* Children should get about one-third of their daily calories at lunch; keep this in mind and don’t overdo portion sizes.

* Refer to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Food Guide Pyramid for recommendations on types of foods and quantities, paying attention the Pyramid’s emphasis on fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

The third school-day option, school lunch in the cafeteria, can save you time, prove to be more economical and offers a well-balanced, healthy alternative. Meals provided through today’s National School Lunch Program are not what you might remember from your childhood. They reflect the tastes of today’s children and are the healthiest meals available on school campus.

Since 1995, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has required schools to meet nutrition guidelines for school meals that regulate the amount of calories from fat, as well as the amounts of several key nutrients. The last nationwide study, that was done of school nutrition programs, the School Nutrition Dietary Assessment II (1999), found that 91 percent of all secondary schools provided foods that met the dietary standards for fat. On the elementary school level, 82 percent of schools offered meals complying with the guidelines for fat. Additional research, including a 2003 report from the U.S. General Accounting Office, the auditing arm of Congress, has shown that students who eat school lunch and breakfast consume at least twice the amount of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and dairy as children who do not participate in the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program.

Because school foodservice programs must be run as a self-supporting business, school nutrition professionals work very hard to provide balanced, nutritious meals to entice your son or daughter. Many school food and nutrition departments use tasting parties to allow students to try out new, healthy foods and recipes before they are offered on the serving line. Another technique used by many schools is “offer versus serve.” Students are encouraged to choose from a variety of items to make a balanced meal. And parents can do their part, too, encouraging children to try different items and break bad food habits -- your child may not know he or she likes green beans or kiwi fruit without trying some.

While the federal government determines nutrition guidelines, school districts have the flexibility to choose the specific foods that are offered in the cafeteria. Pizza, chicken fingers, and submarine sandwiches are all popular school menu items but you may be surprised that they have a better nutrition profile than the version found at the restaurant down the street. In most districts, pizza, chicken, hamburgers and many other foods served as part of the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program are made with low-fat cheeses, lean cuts of meat and may be made with soy protein or other products to ensure the meal meets the nutrition guidelines.

Even school french fries are often baked these days -- not fried. Also, meals provided through the National School Lunch Program must be offered in age-appropriate portion sizes -- supersizing is not permitted.

Let your kids know that making healthy food and beverage choices can lead to academic success. Researchers at the Harvard School of Medicine found that those students that ate a balanced and nutritious school breakfast performed better on standardized math and reading tests. Researchers in Minnesota made similar findings, showing that test scores and grades improved when students ate breakfast on a regular basis.

Food is a very personal choice, and there is no shortage of experts telling you and your children what to eat. Take a step back and consider the following when thinking through this year's back-to-school eating choices:

* Talk to your son or daughter about making healthy eating decisions.

* Model healthy eating at home and when you go out to eat.

* Emphasize moderation, reasonable portion sizes and trying a variety of foods.

* Take part in physical activities with your children and family.

* Arrange to go to school for lunch and join your student for a meal.

For more information visit Your Child Nutrition eSource, the Web site of the American School Food Service Association, at www.asfsa.org.

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