[August 29, 2010] Area schools' nutrition gets passing grade Tweet Aug 29, 2010 (Kokomo Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The ongoing war on childhood obesity has not been missed by Bonnie Graves. Northwestern School Corp.'s food director knows all too well the balancing act between creating meals that are healthy, stay within budget allotments and are pleasing to children. Northwestern, like most public and non-profit private schools, takes part in the National School Lunch Program run through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Schools that participate in that program get cash subsidies and donated commodities for each meal they serve. School lunches must meet the applicable recommendations of the 1995 Dietary Guidelines for Americans -- no more than 30 percent of someone's calories can come from fat, and less than 10 percent must come from saturated fat; foods low in cholesterol, with plenty of variety of fruits and vegetables. The guidelines also require school lunches to provide one-third of the recommended dietary allowances of protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, iron, calcium and calories. "Personally, I try to serve things that they like to eat and still stay in the nutritional standards, because you'll have more kids buying more lunch, which means more money," said Graves. She said she thinks of the operation as any restaurant would -- if you don't serve tasty food, the customers won't want to eat it. Still, in her 20 years in the industry, she's seen a lot of changes -- mainly in the amount of fat and salt served in the food. But St. Joseph Hospital nutritionist Jennifer Jones says there's still a ways to go. "It's great that [the children] are being provided two meals a day, but what if it's poor-quality food?" Jones said the sample meals provided to the Department of Education were fairly standard at all schools in the area, though Tipton Community Schools seemed to be a head above the others with more variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains and frozen rather than canned products. "It looks like they are providing that extra effort to provide a little more nutrition," she said. And while all the meals would receive a passing grade, none of them would be at the head of the class. "When you're talking about your kid's food, it's like what price are you putting on your kid's health?" she said. Jones said she was surprised the Indiana Department of Education only reviews the schools' lunches once every five years. All Kokomo and surrounding area schools do currently meet the program's dietary regulations, although several had to increase caloric amounts and decrease fat levels to come to compliance. Jones also said the ... la carte option could be problematic if students select non-nutritious options, though Graves said the schools do try to offer fresh fruits, salads and veggies as ... la carte choices. Jones said she would love to see a partnership with local farmers' markets and the schools to help provide fresh vegetables and fruits to the children. "I think you have to get creative with it," she said. Jones' advice to schools was to look for fresh rather than canned vegetables, which can be loaded with salt. Opt for fresh or frozen fruit rather than canned, she said. But if canned fruit is unavoidable, choose canned fruit packed in juice or light syrup. And for parents, Jones said it's not a bad idea to pack your children's lunch a few days a week, so you know what kind of nutrition they are getting. "It's all about balance and moderation," she said. Erin Shultz is the Kokomo Tribune Life & Style editor. She may be reached at 765-454-8587 or [email protected]. To see more of the Kokomo Tribune or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.kokomotribune.com/. Copyright (c) 2010, Kokomo Tribune, Ind. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com, e-mail [email protected], or call 866-280-5210 (outside the United States, call +1 312-222-4544). [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]