Introducing Healthy Diets in Schools - Assignment Example

Grade 10 April Introducing Healthy Diets in Schools Poor eating habits can be detrimental as they can cause various diseases including Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol both in children and adults. It is unfortunate that most parents don’t understand the topic of healthy living through the foods their children eat, both in school and at home. A balanced diet has to be maintained at all times in order to ensure all nutrients required by the body are present. Since most students, through research, reveal that fast foods and meals filled with trans fats and calories are a favorite amongst most students, obesity has crept into our children at a fast pace. In the quest to maintain the balance between the favorite meals of students and their parents/guardians’ desires, the secret is to eat all types of food in moderation. Some of the arguments below can be used to convince parents that some of the processed foods and sugars are essential for the bodies of their children: The Act Relative to School Nutrition maintains calories fat from should not be more than 35% for a single meal. This is because the body needs the fat to perform different functions within the body. Since this limit is allowable and the favorite food items among most students are composed of fat, it is only logical to fulfill their desires while keeping them healthy (School Nutrition Legislation). The Total Calories from Sugar also has an allowable maximum limit of 35%. These include all types and categories of foods that contain sugar such as biscuits, juice, cakes, cookies and sandwiches. Serving these foods in moderation and keeping the limits is harmless to the students. It becomes dangerous when the total calories from sugar exceed 35%. Students prefer the “unhealthy” food options including fried chicken, burgers, cakes and sweets. While it’s recommended that the food items are done away with in schools, the fact remains that most students will leave campus in search of these foods. Therefore, the safest thing to do is to serve all the foods but pay more attention to healthier cooking methods. For instance, instead of fried chicken, grilled chicken can be the safe option and instead of serving fried potato chips, baked potato chips can be served instead. Nutritional education is much more important than forceful denial of unhealthy food options in schools. Therefore instead of cutting down on fats and sugars completely, students ought to be educated on why they need to consume more fruit and water and actually make them available at any time in school. Incorporating students’ favorite food options into school menus Albeit processing reduces the naturally occurring nutrients in the food items, it is important to note is that some processed foods actually meet the USDA nutrition standards. Pagano-Kor and Quinn (4) observed that students actually prefer processed foods and will not hesitate to carry a few to school if the menus don’t provide these food items. Here are a few tips that might help schools balance student participation and healthy living; Cook more: Preparing chicken in the kitchen has positive health impacts than buying it because it is easy to monitor the fat that goes into it during preparation. Serve more fruits and vegetables: It doesn’t hurt anyone to serve a plate of beef burger with more fruits and salad. It ensures both health and student satisfaction. Excellent preparation and presentation: Most students settle for competitive foods because of how well they are prepared. Having a top chef in the school kitchen can actually change the focus of the students completely from unhealthy fast foods to healthier options within the campus. Use of alternative methods of cooking: Instead of deep frying foods, baking, grilling and roasting are highly recommended. The result is the same for both but the latter methods promote healthy living for the students. Menus The flowing charts show a two-day lunch menu suggestions for K-6 and 7-12 grade students for both enhanced menu and Nutrient Based Menu Planning. The amounts represent the daily intake of one student. Day 1 Enhanced Food Based Menu Food item Food group Amount Grade level of menu Lean meat- chicken Meat 1 ½ ounces K-6 and 7-12 Milk Beverage 8 fluid ounces K-6 and 7-12 Cabbage Vegetable 1 cup K-6 and 7-12 Peanuts Meat alternate ¾ ounce K-6 and 7-12 Cooked rice Grains ½ Cup K-6 and 7-12 Table 1: Enhanced food based menu for day 1 NSMP Food item Menu category Amount Grade level of menu Lean meat- Chicken Entrée 1 ounce K-6 and 7-12 Milk Beverage 8 fluid ounces K-6 and 7-12 Cabbage Entree 1 cup K-6 and 7-12 Peanuts Side dish 1 ounce K-6 and 7-12 Cooked rice Entree ½ Cup K-6 and 7-12 Table 2: Nutrient based menu planning for day 1 Day 2 Enhanced Food Based Menu Food item Food Group Amount Grade level of menu Cheese Meat 1 ½ ounces K-6 and 7-12 Bread slice Baked goods 2 serving K-6 and 7-12 Fruit Fruit 2 cups K-6 and 7-12 Milk Beverage 8 fluid ounces K-6 and 7-12 Soy Nuts Grains 1 ounce K-6 and 7-12 Table 3: Enhanced food based menu for day 2 NSMP Food item Menu category Amount Grade level of menu Cheese Entrée K-6 and 7-12 Macaroni Entrée K-6 and 7-12 Grains Entrée K-6 and 7-12 Fruit Side dish K-6 and 7-12 Milk Beverage K-6 and 7-12 Table 4: Nutrient based menu planning for day 1 The following charts show the nutritional analysis of day 1 menus for both enhanced food based menu and NSMP. Enhanced Food Based Menu Food Item Amount Unit Cals Fat(G) Carbs(G) Prot(G) Chicken 1.5 oz 101 5.7 0 11.5 Milk 8 oz 102 2.4 12.2 8.2 Cabbage 1 cup 60 2.9 8.3 1.9 Peanuts 0.75 oz 125 10.7 4.3 5.2 Cooked rice 0.5 oz 108 1.1 21.7 2.1 Totals     506 24.6 45.3 38.1 Table 5: Enhanced food based menu nutrient analysis NSMP Food Item Amount Unit Cals Fat(G) Carbs(G) Prot(G) Chicken 1 oz 57 3.2 0 6.5 Milk 8 oz 102 2.4 12.2 8.2 Cabbage 1 cup 60 2.9 8.3 1.9 Peanuts 1 oz 167 14.2 5.7 7 Cooked rice 0.5 Cup 108 1.1 21.7 2.1 Totals     504 25.7 46.7 24.9 Table 6: NSMP Nutrient Analysis The calorie analyses of the menus are shown on the following tables: Enhanced Food Based Menu Food Item Fat(g) Saturated fat (g) Polyunsaturated fat (g) Monounsaturated fat (g) Carbohydrates (g) Protein (g) Chicken 29.2 8.1 6.4 11.5 0 27.7 Milk 10.4 6.8 0.4 3 23.6 17.1 Cabbage 26 5.1 11.5 8.4 29.5 4.7 Peanuts 147.1 21.2 45.7 73 28.9 29.8 Cooked rice 19.8 4 5.9 9 180.8 15.9 Table 7: Enhanced food based menu calorie analysis NSMP Food Item Fat(g) Saturated fat(g) Polyunsaturated fat(g) Monounsaturated fat(g) Carbohydrates (g) Protein (g) Chicken 29.2 8.1 6.4 11.5 0 27.7 Milk 10.4 6.8 0.4 3 23.6 17.1 Cabbage 26 5.1 11.5 8.4 29.5 4.7 Peanuts 147.1 21.2 45.7 73 28.9 29.8 Cooked rice 19.8 4 5.9 9 180.8 15.9 Totals 242.6 50.8 70.5 107.3 262.1 95.2 Table 8: NSMP calorie analysis The menus meet the guidelines of the school lunch program according to USDA because of the following reasons: The rice is whole grain The milk is 1% fat and meets the maximum requirement of ounces per day Total Calories from fat on the enhanced food based menu is 31.4% while that of NSMP is 32.4%. These values meet the maximum requirement of not more than 35%. Total Calories from saturated fat is 8.2% and 9.1% for the enhanced food based menu and NSMP respectively. The limit of not more than 10% has not been reached therefore it meets the guidelines. All food items have not more than 200 calories per item. Works Cited Pagano-Kor Stefanie and Quinn Conor. “Introduction to Nutrition:Teaching Students Healthy Eating Habits.” Diss. Quinn Education, 2005, Print. School Nutrition Legislation. Health and Human Services. 2015. Web. 10 April 2015 Read More