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Will New School Meals Help Stem Obesity Epidemic?

The new guidelines for school lunches include less sodium, more whole grains and a wider selection of fruits and vegetables, and aim to fight the childhood obesity crisis.

Reporter: Fat Fighter TV

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Will new school meals help stem obesity epidemic?

After months of food fights about things like tater tots and chocolate milk, the USDA has announced the first major changes in school meals in 15 years.The new guidelines include less sodium, more whole grains, and a wider selection of fruits and vegetables, and aim to fight the childhood obesity crisis.

Here’s an example of a new elementary school lunch: whole-wheat spaghetti with meat sauce, a whole-wheat roll, a vegetable mix of green beans, broccoli, and cauliflower, kiwi halves, low-fat milk, low-fat ranch dip, and soft margarine.

That would replace a current meal of a hot dog on a bun with ketchup, canned pears, raw celery and carrots with ranch dressing, and low-fat chocolate milk.

Cafeterias will start serving the new lunches during the 2012-13 school year.

I’m guessing it will take years to see how these changes will affect childhood obesity, but I think it’s a step in the right direction.

Recent Comments

  • Posted by: mable
    i work in school cafeteria we are already doing theses changes and have been for a year or more i don't see a difference in kids weight all i see is them not eating like they use to half of them don't even come through lunch line they just go to nearby resturants and eat there so no i don't think it will help he obestiy rate kids eat whatever they want when they get home drink pop and play games and watch tv i also think u should make up your mind are we over weight or hungry because u are also saying kids are going hungry which one is it

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Posted by: mable
i work in school cafeteria we are already doing theses changes and have been for a year or more i don't see a difference in kids weight all i see is them not eating like they use to half of them don't even come through lunch line they just go to nearby resturants and eat there so no i don't think it will help he obestiy rate kids eat whatever they want when they get home drink pop and play games and watch tv i also think u should make up your mind are we over weight or hungry because u are also saying kids are going hungry which one is it