The Case for Healthy School Lunches

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School Lunch Programs throughout the country have received much scrutiny and criticism about the lack of nutrition in meals that kids are being served.  Many meals are frozen, high in fillers and preservatives, fat, sugar and salt.  These ingredients, along with the epidemic of sedentary lifestyles of some American youth, lay the groundwork for obesity and high blood pressure down the road.

This is staggering information is important because nearly 32 million kids participate in the National School Lunch Programs with 47% of daily caloric intake comes from the school meals.  (This is due to the fact that many mothers have been forced  to return to work).  Therefore, healthy school lunches are essential in daily nutrition since many kids don't see a complete meal at home.

This dilemma has been the target of a strategy developed by President Barack Obama's Childhood Task Force.  In an unprecedented move, The US Department of Agriculture has proposed new regulations that will require schools to serve healthier meals.  The change will include:

1. More fruits and vegetables.
2. A greater variety of colorful, antioxidant rich vegetables.
3. More whole grains.
4. One percent fat-free or unflavored milk.
5. Less sodium

These steps are important in taking steps to make sure that future generations are healthier and to attack the increasing numbers of cardiovascular diseases in youth. 

Source:

The Fight for a Healthy School Lunch Ebony Magazine