Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Montgomery and Prince George’s county schools serve more fruits and vegetables, but students may not be eating them.
- SCHOOLS
- Erin Egan
-
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Every day at lunch, children across Prince George’s and Montgomery counties may be facing what conventional wisdom says is one of their worst nightmares. No, it’s not monsters hiding under their beds or behind their closet doors. It’s not zombies chasing after them, either. It’s fruits and vegetables. After Congress passed a nationwide law limiting the amount of calories schools are allowed to serve at lunch, schools in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties are adhering to the rules and serving up more healthy options for students. “Before this year, each student had to select three out of five items,” said Marla Caplon, Director of the Division of Food and Nutrition Services at Montgomery County public schools. “This year, the student …
Newly approved regulations for school lunches have forced schools to revamp their menu options, but a local expert talks about changing how children see healthy food.
In August of this year, Congress approved calorie limits on school lunches. Under the new regulations, cafeterias are required to serve twice as many fruits and vegetables while limiting proteins and carbohydrates. The DC-based Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting better nutrition, sponsors the Healthy School Lunch Campaign. The PCRM Healthy School Lunch Team works with school districts across the country and organizes meetings and presentations for school boards, PTAs, and student groups and its message is that the food served in school should promote the health of all children. PCRM has worked closely with D.C. public schools, along with schools in Montgomery …
The school's community is supporting the healthier changes at the school and its been rewarded for its achievements.
- SCHOOLS
- Ha Nguyen
-
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Fifth grader BriDe' Key at Riverdale Elementary School said she started eating healthier with the revamped school menus. “I like the meals,” said Key, 10. “Most of the stuff they serve is good.” Like many other public schools in Prince George’s County, Riverdale Elementary School is promoting healthy eating by providing students with healthier options for breakfast and lunch. The new federal school lunch regulations, which passed in 2010 a maximum calorie limit for elementary lunches at 650 calories. Under the old rules, cafeterias served a minimum of 825 calories per lunch. The Congress-approved calorie limits on school lunches went into effect in August. The initiative, to make school lunches healthier and more nutritious, requires the …
