Nutrition
One of the goals of the Point Loma Cluster Schools Foundation is to promote balance and a healthy campus lifestyle. In regards to nutrition, this includes updating menu options to improve nutritional content and healthy choices; eliminating trans fats, enhancing Kids-Choice Café and National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs; meeting the nutritional guidelines of the California Shaping Health as Partners in Education menu patterns and the California Fresh Start Program; and providing nutrition education that includes tasting and sampling of fresh fruits and vegetables
SDUSD Food Services Department believes "Healthy Bodies Make Healthy Minds" and is focused on offering meals designed to be both healthy and well-received by students. Meals are served to students through the federally-funded United States Department of Agriculture's National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. Meals meet nutrition guidelines based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Menus are written with 30% or less calories from fat and 10% or less calories from saturated fat. School lunches provide one-third of the Recommended Dietary Allowances of protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium and calories. These guidelines apply over the course of one week of school lunch menus. A staff registered dietitian computer analyzes each menu following the California SHAPE Nutrient Standard Menu System which meets or exceeds federal guidelines. Prior to writing the menus, students are part of the decision making process, participating in taste testing, focus groups and surveys. SDUSD Food Services has compiled a directory of resources that align with national and California standards to make it easy to incorporate building healthy lifestyles into everyday life: http://www.sandi.net/Page/31754 The Food Services Department's supporting programs have added important dimensions to our basic programs.
Farm to School program connects schools (K-12) and local farms with the objectives of serving healthy meals in school cafeterias, improving student nutrition, providing agriculture, health and nutrition education opportunities, and supporting local and regional farmers. Farm to School at its core is about establishing relationships between local foods and school children by way of including, but not limited to:
Beginning with the 2012-2012 school year, SDUSD put in place the new USDA guidelines for even healthier meals for our students. These guidelines came about through the Healthy Hunger-Free Kid's Act of 2010 and ensure that meals are healthy and well-balanced and provide students all the nutrition they need to succeed at school. Five components of a healthy meal are offered: milk, fruits, vegetables, proteins and grains with strict limits on saturated fat and portion size. School lunches meet additional standards requiring:
Trans fats banned: Beginning with the 2009/10 school year, state law bans food containing trans fats from being sold at schools in vending machines and by outside contractors. A separate legislative effort covers school cafeteria food. Trans fats, which have been linked to heart disease, can be found in vegetable shortenings, cookies, crackers, pies and other foods made with, or fried in, partially hydrogenated oils. Mary MacVean, Improved high school lunch program for 2009/10: ~33,000 teenagers attend the district's 17 high schools, but only 1/3 buy campus lunches. SDUSD hopes to double that number to 20,000 next year with improved menu choices, new food carts, and discreet payment procedures to increase the number of students getting nutritious meals.
The 800-calorie meals come with two side dishes and milk. SDUSD will continue to meet with students in a series of focus groups designed to find out what teenagers want for lunch. New Menu Focus Group: In 2008/9, Food Services is conducting a district-wide High School Focus Group with selected students to identify possible menu items for the new school year. Suggestions include |
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