Page 9 - Today's Dietitian (March 2020)

“Healthful school meals help combat However, Deborah Beauvais, RDN, SNS, from a variety of healthful options in
childhood obesity and poor cardiovas- school nutrition director at Gates Chili, the cafeteria. Entrées that already meet
cular health, but they also help establish East Rochester, and East Irondequoit nutrition standards for school meals
a foundation for a lifetime of healthful Schools in Rochester, New York, believes would be allowed for à la carte purchase
behaviors. Healthful school foods also that the USDA’s proposed changes will be on the day the entrée is offered as part
help children perform better in school a positive. “USDA’s current and proposed of the school meal and for the next two
and set them up for success. This pro- flexibilities for school menu planning pre- school days. Current rules only permit à
posed rule would be detrimental to the serve strong nutrition standards, ensur- la carte sale the day of meal service and
long-term health of our children and ing students will be offered a wide variety one day after.”
erase years of progress in child nutrition of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables Regarding the notion that the pro-
in our country. with school meals, including weekly offer- posed changes to the NSLP and SBP will
“It is shocking that the USDA has ings of dark leafy greens, red and orange reduce food waste, Blake says studies
decided to once again put the health of vegetables, and legumes,” she says. “Under show there’s “less food waste with the
our children at risk. We will be carefully these flexibilities, school meals meet new healthful lunch standards than the
reviewing this proposal and providing Target 1 sodium reductions and caps on older standards. Children like produce
comments.” calories and saturated fat, which ensure that tastes good. To reduce food waste,
school meals do not contribute to obesity. you need to prepare healthful foods in
Resounding Response “As a school nutrition operator, I an appetizing way that appeal to kids.”
Most RDs contacted by Today’s Dietitian do not plan to go backwards on any of The issue of food waste “is very com-
echo the sentiments of the American the things we have been doing, as they plex,” Palmer says. “We know that a lot of
Heart Association. are going well for the kids and our pro- food is wasted when fruits, veggies, and
Sharon Palmer, MSFS, RDN, The gram. I am placing ‘garden bars’ in all whole grains are required to be served
Plant-Powered Dietitian, says, “I believe my schools so that children can get the in schools. However, we also know that
that many schools had gotten used to the exposure to a wide variety of vegetables. children increase their intake of health-
requirement for more fruits, vegetables, These new flexibilities will allow me to ful foods with repeated exposure. It may
and whole grains, so to reverse a health- take advantage of local harvests. Why be an issue that needs more attention—
ier rule that schools had largely grown should a school turn down zucchini, how to provide healthier foods that will
accustomed to doesn’t make sense to wax beans, or beets because they are an actually be consumed, not thrown away.”
me. In addition, we know these are all ‘other vegetable’ and they need to fill up According to Wright, “I don’t believe
healthful directions for children’s diets. other categories first? Moreover, the veg- that the proposed changes will make a
Kids are falling short of these key areas.” etable subgroups are incredibly compli- significant impact on food waste. Offer-
Joan Salge Blake, EdD, RDN, LDN, cated (a dry black-eyed pea is a legume, ing healthful food to kids that tastes
FAND, nutrition professor at Boston but a fresh black-eyed pea is a starch). good will not necessarily be wasted.
University, author of Nutrition & You, “In addition,” Beauvais continues, Here’s where education all around will
and host of the hit nutrition, health, and “there is much needed flexibility for à help. Most food waste is the product of
wellness podcast SpotOn!, says, “Down- la carte offerings. This will help relieve individual consumers and households.”
sizing the [number of] healthful foods in unnecessary menu planning inconsis- SOURCE: AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION, ADDITIONAL
the school lunch program is ridiculous tencies and ensure students can choose REPORTING BY JUDITH RIDDLE, EDITOR OF TODAY’S
DIETITIAN
based on the research. A study in the
journal Childhood Obesity shows that
70% of elementary school leaders (mostly
foodservice directors and principals)
nationwide reported that students gen-
erally like the healthier school lunches,
which include meals with more fruits,
vegetables, and whole grains, which can
reduce food waste, according to a Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation report.”
KC Wright, MS, RDN, LD, a researcher
at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
and founder of a nutrition communica-
tions practice, says the USDA’s proposed
rule “will undo and reverse public health
efforts to reduce diet-related disease risk
and obesity in our children that have been
effective in improving kids’ health. Under
the current rules, the nutrition quality of
meals has been improved, according to
HealthyEatingResearch.org.”
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