Lunch Lessons: Greenbelt Schools Providing Healthier Lunch Options, Fresh Produce

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.

Students and school staff members in Greenbelt have noticed a significant change in the lunch menu since last year.

Amir Baiyina, a senior at Eleanor Roosevelt High School, has noticed a difference in the lunch options available now as compared to his freshman year when cheesesteak sandwiches, chicken patties and French fries dominated the menu.

“There definitely has been efforts to make it more healthy,” Baiyina said.

Most students prefer the snack line according to Baiyina who says there are good days and bad days for lunch. Taco Tuesdays is popular among the students at Roosevelt High.

As a measure to curb unhealthy eating, vending machines have been shut down in the school, according to Baiyina.

See what other area schools are doing to promote healthy eating by reading our Lunch Lessons series.

At Springhill Lake Elementary School in Greenbelt, major changes are being made for lunch, according to Special Education Coordinator, Chris Wichtendahl. The food served there comes from a satellite kitchen at the nearby Greenbelt Middle School. Wichtendahl said the meals are balanced and healthy.

“The menus are getting better,” she said. “It’s nice that it’s gradual”

There is a full breakfast program, which is sponsored by a grant from Wal-Mart, she said. But the changes aren’t just in the cafeteria.

The physical education teachers spend a lot of time talking about eating healthy and making better choices, according to Wichtendahl.

First grade teacher Ellen Moiani said she has noticed a change in the menu since last year. Moiani said she has seen a great deal of salads and fruits incorporated into the meals. The kids now have to choose two healthy sides this year, different from last year when they were required to choose only one side. Moiani has been teaching at Springhill for five years and this is the first year she hasn’t heard complaints from the kids about the food.

Yet the school isn’t only helping the students in their building eat better. Once a month, free produce is given to the public at Springhill Lake Elementary.

About 90 percent of kids qualify for free lunch, so many of the families that come to get fresh produce are low income, Wichtendahl said.

The produce is donated by the Capital Area Food Bank, which works to feed those who suffer from hunger in the DC metro area by acquiring food and distributing it through its network of partner agencies.

Shawnaka Johnson, who coordinates the produce giveaway, said these families are looking for ways to maximize their budget so the free produce helps them a lot.

Read more about what is being done to promote healthy eating in College Park and Hyattsville schools. And check out more articles in our Lunch Lessons series.