Kids Choose Healthy
Lunches, But Don't Eat Them
Excerpt By Charnicia E. Huggins, Reuters Health

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Children whose school lunch programs allow them to choose their own entrees and side dishes may select foods with adequate amounts of essential vitamins and nutrients, but they may not actually end up consuming these nutrients, according to a new report. Instead, large amounts of the food may end up in the trash.

``From what (the students) selected, they would have met dietary guidelines, had they consumed what they selected,'' study author Dr. Carol W. Shanklin of the Graduate School at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas, told Reuters Health.

For their study, Shanklin and her colleagues evaluated food choices and nutrient consumption among students in a midwestern elementary school.

In the school district studied, students were required to select an entree and a half pint of milk. Vegetables, fruits, bread and desserts were optional.

The youth generally chose meals that contained recommended amounts of protein, calcium, iron, vitamin A and vitamin C, but they often did not eat everything on their plates, Shanklin and her team report in the September issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. As a result, the students' nutrient consumption did not meet nutritional requirements for energy, iron and vitamin A.

As might be expected, vegetables were the least popular food items on the school menu, with the exception of French fries, hash browns and other potato dishes. In one instance, 64% of the students selected peas, but they discarded almost half of the less than 2-ounce serving.

Further, at least 8 in 10 students selected fruits such as fruit cocktail, applesauce and pears, but they also discarded from 4% to 19% of the items.

``They don't eat (certain fruits and vegetables) sometimes, because they're not familiar with them,'' Shanklin said. If students are not introduced to certain food items at home, they won't know what they are when they are served in school, she explained.

Many students selected breads and desserts, but still between 6% and 20% of these items were also discarded, the report indicates.

Pigs in a blanket and fish wedges were the most popular entrees, as determined by their lesser amounts of plate waste, according to Shanklin and her team. The least popular entree was ground beef in gravy with whipped potatoes, almost 30% of which was discarded.

In light of the findings, Shanklin advises parents to reinforce the nutrition education message that students receive in school. They should teach children to eat things other than starches and introduce them to many different types of fruits and vegetables, she said.

``The earlier we can start that''--particularly during the day care years--''the better,'' Shanklin said.

SOURCE: Journal of the American Dietetic Association 2001;101:1060-1063.

Reference Source 89

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