After a long road, change has finally begun! Last week the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a proposed rule for major nutritional changes of federally subsidized school meals as part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010.
These guidelines are intended to address the increasing childhood obesity crisis by adding more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fat-free and low-fat milk to school meals in addition to limiting saturated fat, sodium, calories, and trans-fats.
This proposal is definitely a move in the right direction, but it could be several years before the rules require schools to implement the changes. To help maximize the positive affects, below is a list of the proposed USDA guidelines and our tips for making the most out of them to help make a difference! Let's Move to a healthier place!
- Decrease the amount of starchy vegetables
Start by simply eliminating frozen French Fry products and corn. It's ok to serve some 'real' fresh potatoes though. See our Spicy Fat Fry recipe.
- Reduce sodium in meals gradually over the next 10 years.
This is not that hard to do if we eliminate processed foods that require added sodium to enhance their flavor.
- Establish calorie maximums and minimums for the first time.
Believe it or not, up to this point, we have only had to work with a minimum calorie count. There is such a thing as eating too much!
- Serve only unflavored 1% milk or fat-free flavored or unflavored milk.
'Flavored milk' (Chocolate, Strawberry Milk) can contain almost as much sugar as soda. Some will say the massive amount of sugar is OK because the children need their calcium. Guess what? Calcium is available in a lot of other non-sweetened foods such as yogurt, cheese, and dark leafy greens.
- Increase the fruits and vegetables kids are offered. The new rule requires that a serving of fruit be offered daily at breakfast and lunch and that two servings of vegetables be offered daily at lunch.
Perfect! And be sure to use fresh produce and try preparing them in unique and tasty ways. Our 'Crispy Kale' recipe is one example.
- Increase whole grains substantially.
The new rules will require that half of grains served must be whole grains. Hopefully this is a start. When choosing 'whole grains', it doesn't necessarily mean "Whole Wheat" bread. Many of these "Whole Wheat" products contain a lot of additives and preservatives. Check the label! Be sure to say NO to High Fructose Corn Syrup in "Whole Wheat" bread.
Or better yet, ELIMINATE trans fats by using products where the nutrition label says "zero grams of trans fat per serving".
Here are a few links to learn more about the USDA Guidelines:
Contact us to learn more about how we can help you on your journey.
