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 …
Not only are local schools helping their students eat healthier, they are providing programs for the community to eat better as well.
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. …
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 …
