The Caldwell-West Caldwell school district, working with food distributor Aramark, is striving to help children make better choices when the lunch bell rings by adding fresh fruit and vegetables to the menu.
A no-brainer, you say? Here's a sobering statistic from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: only 31.8 percent of New Jersey middle and high schools offer the healthy fare as an option to "competitive foods." As you may have already guessed, the competition is junk food, whether it's French fries from the cafeteria or Fritos from a vending machine.
With nearly one-third of American children obese or overweight, getting kids to eat healthy is a top priority. Sure, you can brown-bag a kid's midday meal. In fact, one study found children who bring lunch from home are less likely to be overweight or obese than those who buy lunch at school.
But, a study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found elementary school students who were offered fresh fruits and raw vegetables daily during lunch consumed significantly fewer calories from junk food such as candy, dessert and sugary beverages and ate more fruits and veggies during the day.
So parents who enroll their kids in the Caldwell-West Caldwell lunch program can breathe a little easier. Here, the nutritional highlights of the new school year:
Elementary School Swaps
2009 Menu: Lunch snacks such as Goldfish crackers, Teddy Grahams, etc.
New for 2010: Daily fruit or vegetable selection. On days when fresh fruit or vegetables—delivered from a farm in Vineland—are not available, canned fruits or cooked vegetables are offered instead.
2009 Menu: Low-fat milk
New for 2010: Low-fat chocolate and regular milk (This is based on research that milk consumption increases if a variety of milk is offered.)
2009 Menu: Breaded chicken patty sandwich
New for 2010: Grilled chicken sandwich on a whole grain bun (hot dog rolls, chicken nuggets and waffle sticks are also whole-grain).
Middle and High School Swaps
2009 Menu: Processed foods such as frozen pizza and breaded chicken patties.
New for 2010: Freshly prepared meals, such as chicken parmesan, burritos, handmade calzones and pizza. Also, made-to-order sandwiches and wraps are now on the menu, including a 6-foot submarine sandwich sold by the inch. (Fresh fruit and vegetables, and water or milk, are offered with lunch entrees.)
Coming Soon: James Caldwell High School students can enjoy fresh Belgium waffles…with fresh fruit piled on top, of course!
Cheryl Nita, food service director of Aramark, says that the new lunch program has been received positively by both parents and students. She welcomes comments and can be reached at nita-cheryl@aramark.com.
